Sunday, December 29, 2019

Essay on The Place of Scripture in Christian Faith

As part of revivals in Christian faith during 18th century onward three practices evolved into their own interpretation on the place and authority of Scripture in the Christian faith. The first of these were the Liberals who â€Å"viewed themselves as the saviors of a defunct out of date Christianity† (Bingham 149). Their founder, Friedrich Schleiermacher an 18th century pastor, â€Å"did not view traditional, authoritative doctrines, creeds and biblical texts as the preeminent sources in theology (150). Instead the Liberal perspective of Christianity put more emphasis on the doctrines of sin and grace and less attention on the holiness of the trinity (Kerr 213). Jesus was viewed as a historical figure that we can learn from spiritually and the†¦show more content†¦The Neo-Orthodoxical view on faith is that it â€Å"is a step into the unknown, made on the basis of that which is already known. Faith is neither totally rational nor totally irrational† (Lane 270) . Following this is then the concept that knowing all of Christian history or knowledge of the Bible does not equal faith (270). Those of the Neo-Orthodox faith believe that â€Å"the Bible is the word of God only in the sense that it witnesses to the past event of God speaking and that God again speaks through it today† (275). Because God speaks throughout the Bible and is the living word it should be viewed as a whole that spreads the message of Jesus Christ (Kantzer 19). The Neo-Orthodox movement sought to enforce the Bible as the eternal word of God and his only as the guidance for our walk in faith and a manual of sorts to seek Him and reach heaven. As each different theological movement evolved and became a form of Christian practice there followed the good and the bad aspects of each. The Liberalist did well to become a part of society and distance themselves from the strict and traditional practices of Christianity. Although with this new adaption of the faith they lost part of the meaning of being a Christian. Liberalist placed more emphasis on faith and with this they â€Å"taught the love of God but denied his holy wrath against sin – thus ending with a sentimental concept of love† (Lane 271). Because the element of feeling and only the example of Christ as a modelShow MoreRelatedThe Place of Scripture in Evangelical, Liberal, and Neo-Orthodox Thought1563 Words   |  7 PagesScharfe Bible ____ 16 November 13 The Place of Scripture in Evangelical, Liberal, and Neo-Orthodox Thought As part of the Christian faith during 18th century revivals, three practices evolved forming their own interpretation on the place and authority of Scripture in Christian faith. The first of these were the Liberals who viewed themselves as the saviors of a defunct out of date Christianity, they wanted to connect with people and bring them into the faith, not scare them with a set of rules (BinghamRead MoreInspiration of the Bible1747 Words   |  7 Pagesan important element in the Scripture. It develop together all the accounts of Scripture and provides the most with value. The notion of the disputes according the Scripture point and inspiration case is carried throughout Orton Wileys Christian Theology. Wiley entered the dispute pretending to show the false meaning of the Bible . He clearly stated that only three worthy monarchs, the kings have gathered a faith in their hands. It means that, they forced our Faith and put it into a false andRead MoreThe Important Aspects Of The C atholic Church1336 Words   |  6 PagesElizabeth Stevinson 110-C Catholicism is a world renowned faith and has expanded throughout history to become one of the largest faiths known today. Two of the important aspects of the Catholic Church are the worship rituals and the texts of the Sacred Scriptures. The worship rituals are important within the Catholic church, because many rituals are used to â€Å"Increase faith and to advance oneself to a higher state of spiritual perfection.† (Why The Rituals) The sacraments are designed to build upRead MoreThe Theology Of The United Methodist Church1050 Words   |  5 Pagesthe biblical sermons, the creeds, and the hymns as we sung our faith together. My formation in The United Methodist Church was centered upon the Bible, the primary source of Christian belief and theological exploration. The Scriptures contain all things necessary for salvation. 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Although some would say the basic beliefs are concise and objective, depending on the teller, I believe that the concept of ‘basic’ is subjectiveRead MoreThe Theology Of Philosophy And Christian Theology917 Words   |  4 Pages There are four theology sources of theology that is scrip ture, tradition, reason and religious experience. The scripture is expounded with the context of public worship and is the subject of meditation and devotion on the part of individual Christian (McGrath, 2011). Tradition is an active process of passing on the Christian faith, rather than as a static source of revelation, independent of Scripture (McGrath, 2011). Reason is assumed an especial importance at the time of the EnlightenmentRead MoreThe, Liberals And The Neo Orthodox1515 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the Church history, details in which to interpret Scripture and the place of it, has been debated among major groups for centuries. Three major groups that all read and interpret scripture to a different standard are the Evangelicals, Liberals and the Neo-Orthodox. Each group holds the Scriptures sacred in their own way, but not everyone agrees to the others use. The first group was the Liberals. The Liberals were by far the most unique of these three groups because were prepared toRead MoreEthical Decision Making Ethical Decisions1533 Words   |  7 Pages When making ethical decisions we as Christians use different sources to help us in deciding how we should respond to a given situation while staying true to our Christian faith and its values. The scholar Richard Hays identified these sources for ethical decision-making into four areas: Scripture, tradition, reason and experience. Neither of these is used in isolation, but work together to help us decide what would be ethically right to lead the â€Å"good life† and proclaim the Kingdom of GodRead MoreWorld Religions and the North Africa/Southwest Asia Realm854 Words   |  4 Pagesreviewing the scripture readings presented for this lesson, each religion has one intrinsic similarity; that is the belief in God. Where both Islam and Judaism view God as one entity, Christians believe in the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), (Islam, Judaism and, 2004-2013). Review of the scripture readings show that both Judaism and Christianity are similar in that they preach an expression of kindness to strangers. Whereas Christianity invites strangers to join and become a Christian, JudaismRead More Early Christianity Essay examples822 Words   |  4 Pageslearning Christà ¢â‚¬â„¢s lessons all over again. The earliest Christian worshipers endured many hardships not experienced by society today. These differences in science, technology, and lack of practicing our beliefs have caused a rift between early Christianity and Christianity today. Christianity borrows many aspects from Judaism. The Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures were used in the early teachings, however the Christian believers interpreted the scriptures in a different manner. This interpretation leads

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Behavioral Theory Influence on Personality Essay - 1280 Words

Behavioral Theory Influence on Personality There are a number of theories which have attempted to explain human behavior and its impact on social as well as work life. These theories have tried to explain how human behavior shapes a person’s personality. One of the important theories is the Behavioral Theory or Behaviorism. This theory depends on the premise that all kinds of human behaviors are basically acquired via conditioning. The behavioral theories originated in the first part of the 20th century and were promoted by eminent psychologists like John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner. These behavioral techniques are in use even today to facilitate the learning process of individuals and learn new behavior in various circumstances.†¦show more content†¦For instance, an employee’s punctuality may depend upon the counseling provided by his superior or by watching other workers being counseled for not coming to work on time. Again, if an employee is praised for being punctual, this behavior gets positiv ely reinforced resulting in a repetition of such behavior. (Sommers-Flanagan; Sommers-Flanagan, 2004); (Myers, 2004) Skinner advocated a â€Å"radical behaviorism†, which he believed had the potential to change society. According to this theory, reinforcement principles could be employed to working practices in human institutions to bring about positive changes in society. As per this theory, environmental events taking place in society, the reactions of individuals to these events, and the outcomes of such behavior can be scientifically observed and studied. According to Watson, Skinner and other behaviorists, consciousness is something that can not and should not be studied. (Leonard, 2002) Behaviorists like Skinner have stressed that behaviorism can be used to create a perfect society where social engineers can use behaviorist techniques to mould the environment in such a way that all evil can be eliminated and harmonious social relations and personal happiness can be achi eved. (Colarelli, 2003) One of the basic elements of Skinner’s behavioral theory is operant conditioning. An individual or organism gets a reinforcing stimulus or reinforcer while it is operating. ThisShow MoreRelatedThe Social Of Social Cognitive Theory1591 Words   |  7 PagesSocial Cognitive Theory is perhaps the most comprehensive and complex learning theories in the field of psychology. The theory attempts to explain how our social environment has a great influence on our behaviors and actions. Albert Bandura is the most notable psychologist of the Social Cognitive Theory. He has conducted intense research and experiments for over 50 years and continually strives to improve the strengths and correct the limitations of the theory. The Social Cognitive Theory is applied todayRead MoreEssay on Cattells Big Five Factors997 Words   |  4 PagesCattells Big Five Factors Cattell’s Big Five Factors of Personality, Behavioral Genetics, and Evolutionary Personality Theory. Current Research Raymond Cattell (1905-present) designed the â€Å"Big five Factors of Personality†, in which five classifications are revealed. Big Five factors: #1 extraversion vs. introversion, #2 agreeableness vs. antagonism, #3 conscientiousness vs. undirected ness, #4 neuroticism vs. emotional stability, and #5 openness to experience vs. not open to experienceRead MoreBehavioral and Social/Cognitive Approaches to Forming Habits Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesBehavioral and Social/Cognitive Approaches to Forming Habits Norman L Fountain PSY 250 May 4, 2011 Nichelle Ancrum Behavioral and Social/Cognitive Approaches to Forming Habits Habit as defined in Webster’s as a: a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance b : an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary (Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online, 2011). BehaviorRead MoreThe Theories Of Leaders Are Born Of Intrinsic Characters1159 Words   |  5 PagesThe theories that leaders are born of intrinsic characters, and that certain leadership behaviors can be taught, purportedly, there are no set ways to become a leader, have inspired tremendous contentions amongst scholars. Ironically, these arguments have also shared diverse opinions and views that seemingly create a framework of contrast on these viewpoints. Therefore it is clear that characters that are attributed to a leader are in fact nonlinear, and even so, could be argued as a constant dynamicRead MoreMy Bad Habit of Procrastination: An Analysis788 Words   |  3 Pag esprocrastinators. For me, I know I have been procrastinating on pretty much everything in my adult life. I seem to just not have the motivation or fire to complete something unless I have no other choice but to do it. It is a clear extension of my fathers influence. He used to procrastinate on everything. He even developed a saying, which I still live by today: There are three types of people in the world. Ones who get stuff done right away and relax after, ones who procrastinate the whole time and stress outRead MoreBiological Influences On Personality : Temperament, Personality, And Life Span Development1030 Words   |  5 PagesBiological Influences on Personality: Temperament. Personality is not just something we learn, there are also biological influences that help shape a person’s personality. Our book refers to temperament as biologically based emotional and behavioral tendencies that are evident in early childhood (Cervone D., Pervin, 2015 p.488). Each article prov ided an insight on how biology plays an important role in our personality/temperament. In the article Nature over nurture: Temperament, personality, and lifeRead MoreEtchis970 Words   |  4 PagesPsychology of Personality PSY/ 250 April 06, 2011 Behavioral and Social/ Cognitive Approaches to Forming Habits Current is only one behavior that comes to mind that every person experiences at some point or another in his or her lives. Financial stress is a behavior that negatively affects a person’s mindset and only pushes the victim further down the spiral.    Some people have found ways to cope with stress while others struggle with it on a daily basis. There are several therapy theories that oneRead MoreIntroduction to Personality Essay940 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction to Personality Personality has been part of debate amongst theorists for decades. Many theories have been developed about what human personality is and how it develops. Even after so many years of research and studies, no one definition has been agreed by all theorists. 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Four Paradigms of Psychology NATURE-Psycho-analytic/dynamic-Social-Cognitive-Behavioral-Humanism-NURTURE Psycho-analytic/dynamicRead MorePsy 250 Complete Course (Psychology of Personality) - a+ Work1520 Words   |  7 Pages(Psychology of Personality) - A+ Work IF You Want To Purchase A+ Work Then Click The Link Below , Instant Download http://hwnerd.com/PSY-250-Psychology-of-Personality-Complete-Course-1138.htm?categoryId=-1 If You Face Any Problem E- Mail Us At Contact.Hwnerd@Gmail.Com Week 1 Individual Assignment Personality Reflection Write a 700- to 1,050-word reflective paper that addresses the following questions: o How would you define personality? o What are some key personality features that

Friday, December 13, 2019

The Roman Government Free Essays

The Roman Government Latin Investigation By Abhishek Gambhir January 2013 The High School of Glagow abhishekgambhir14@gmail. com 1. Table of Contents 3. We will write a custom essay sample on The Roman Government or any similar topic only for you Order Now 4 5. 6. 7. 8. Introduction The Leaders Political Groups Monarchy to Republic Conclusion Bibliography Curia Julia The High School of Glagow abhishekgambhir14@gmail. com 2. Introduction I have chosen the government for my latin investigation for many reasons. The first and formost reason is that I am very interested in modern politics and how the government works and I thought it would be interesting if I resarched how the romans ruled and governed their country. On the front cover you will see an ancient coin with the letters SPQR on it. This would have stood for â€Å"Senatus Populusque Romanus† Which literarly translated as â€Å"The Senate and People of Rome. † These four letters were one of the most important symbols in roman life it was used as an official emblem of the modern day town of Rome. It appears on coins, at the end of important documents ,gravestones and was branded on the arms of the men in the Roman legions. SPQR on a Gravestone SPQR on a the base of a statue of Julius Caeser In the Table of Contents I hve incuded remains of the Roman senate houses. The one on the left is Curia Julia which was the third senate house to be named. It’s construction began in 44 BC by order of Julius Caeser but was interupted by his unfortunate assassination and was completed by Caesar’s successor Augustus in 29 BC. The Curia Julia is one of the only Roman structures to still be standing today. Throughout the Investigation I will look at different points abot what made the Roman government tick, compare it with modern times and give a personal response. So lets begin with†¦. The High School of Glagow abhishekgambhir14@gmail. com 3. The Emperor The Leaders The emperor was the general learder of Rome and was responsible for the city. I will be using Emperor Augustus as an example. The reign of augustus started on 16th January 27 BC. This marked the start of a new era known as the Pax Romana (The Roman Peace). By conquering Egypt, Dalmatia, Pannonia, Noricum, and Raetia, Augustus dramatically expanded the Roman emprie. Beyond the frontiers, he made peace with the Parthian Empire. He reformed the Roman system of taxing, developed networks of roads with an official courier system, established a standing army, established the Praetorian Guard(a force of bodyguards for the emperor), created official police and fire-fighting services for Rome, and rebuilt much of the city during his reign. Augustus died in 14 AD at the age of 75. He may have died from natural causes, although there were rumors that his wife Livia poisoned him. He was succeeded as Emperor by his adopted son Tiberius who can be seen at his feet in the statue. The Prime Minister Statue of Emperor Augustus As a comparison I will be talking about the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister, unlike the Roman emperor is bound to â€Å"cabinet responsibility† (making joint decisions). In Latin Prime Minister is â€Å"Primus inter pares† which means â€Å"first among equals. But something the Prime minister and the emperor do have in common is the secutrity. Only other politicians and close friends and family are allowed on downing street. Response The way the Leader operates in there two civilisations is very different. Personally I think that our way of handling things is a bit better because in todays day and age, without the proper security assassination would be common and countries would be thrown into chaos. The High School of Glagow abhishekgambhir14@gmail. com 4. Political Groups The Roman Senate The Roman Senate was a political organisation in ancient Rome. The word senate derives from the Latin word senex, which means â€Å"old man†. Therefore the word means â€Å"assembly of elders†. The senate was one of the most enduring establishments in Roman history. The Senate was founded 500 BC. The senate was mainly composed of very wealthy people who were called the aristocrates. Only a small number of roman people could become a senetor but once someone had become a senetor the could attend the senate until death. By the middle Republic, the Senate reached the pinnacle of its power. As you can see in the ancient painting everyone is wearing a white robe which symbolises power. The late Republic saw a rise in the Senate’s power, being led by Tiberius and Gaius Gracchi. British Political Parties As a comparison I will be looking at British political parties. A general election in Britian takes place every 4-5 years but in the Senate, senetors could stay until death once they were appointed. Also in Britian there are multiple political parties to give different viewpoints but in ancient Rome there was only the Senate. Response The way these political groups operate in thier respective civilisation is very different. Our system is democratic whereas the roman system is based on wealth and tradition. The Romans have a single party system and whilst this avoids some time being wasted it can make decisions very one sided. The British have a multi party sysetm and this gives more than one opinion on issues and lets the people side with who they want. I think Our system is better because It is less biased than the Romans way. The High School of Glagow abhishekgambhir14@gmail. com 5. Monarchy to Republic The Roman Republic The Roman Republic (Res-publica Romanorum) was the period of the ancient Roman civilization when the government operated as a republic. It started with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy which happened around 509 BC, and its replacement was government headed by two consuls, elected every year by the citizens and advised by the senate. A regular system, gradually developed over time. The leaders of the Republic developed a strong tradition and morality requiring public service and support in peace and war, making military and political success linked. despite the Republic’s struggle against any persons gain of permanent political powers, Roman politics was dominated by a small number of Roman leaders, their uneasy alliances punctuated by a series of civil wars. This eventually led to the republics demise. The Roman Republic was never restored, but neither was it abolished, so the exact date of the transition to the Roman Empire is unknown. Historians have proposed the appointment of Julius Caesar as perpetual dictator in 44 BC, the defeat of Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and the Roman Senate’s grant of extraordinary powers to under the first settlement as the defining event ending the Republic. Britains Switch As a comparison I will talk about when Britain moved from Monarchy to the system we are all familiar with today. In 1689,William III (and his wife Mary II) finally brought stability and the Bill of Rights was passed. This required all laws to be approved by Parliament, and for Parliament to be independant of the monarchy. By the time of Queen Victoria, the monarchy was no longer involved in politics, which became dominated by the Prime Minister. A series of Reform Acts from 1832 to 1928 would change the voting age to18. Response I think that the Republic system is alot bertter thant the moncrchy and that both civilisations were right in switching. It was just the bad times that the Roman republic did not last but in the modern day we all have a system that we are happy with. The High School of Glagow abhishekgambhir14@gmail. com 6. Conclusion In conclusion the Roman government was a very well working and very well organised system for the time when it existed. There are alot of ideas that we could take from the Roman system that could help make our one better. The High School of Glagow abhishekgambhir14@gmail. com Bibliography The Government of the Roman Empire Barbara Levick (Author) The Digest of Roman Law: Theft, Rapine, Damage and Insult Justinian (Author), C. Kolbert (Translator) Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire Simon Baker (Author) The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Edward Gibbon (Author) The Roman Government of Britain Anthony R. Birley http://jaysromanhistory. com/rome web/govt/early_govt. htm (Website) The High School of Glagow abhishekgambhir14@gmail. com 6. How to cite The Roman Government, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Beyond Petroleum Oil Spill Tragedy Case Study Free Sample

Question: Write about theBeyond Petroleum Oil Spill Tragedy. Answer: Introduction Profit maximization has become a core concept in todays world. Organizations use various unfair trade practices with the public in order to gain economic advantage. Here comes the role of regulator who acts as agents for the best interest of the society. There intervention is necessary in order to safeguard the society from the organizations who are willing to take undue advantage for their personal economic gain. In the following assignment case of British petroleum has been discussed along with their negative impact of the society and how regulator controls such unfair trade practices. Beyond Petroleum Case Analysis Beyond petroleum formerly known as British petroleum is a British multinational oil company, headquartered in London. It is one of the largest energy companies in the world. In the recent years they have attracted a great share of controversy due to their oil spill tragedy which occurred in April2010. On April 20, 2010 the Mexico oil gulf witnessed the one of the biggest maritime disaster of the history. British Petroleum leased a deep water horizontal rig which was owned by Transocean for exploration of oil in macondo well, situated in Gulf of Mexico (Ingersoll, Reavis Locke, 2012). There was a blast on the rig platform which resulted into oil spill. Around 4.9 million barrel of oil was spilled due to the explosion and this leak was uncontrollable. There were around 126 workers were present on board among which 17 were injured and 11 died on the spot. The oil platform burnt for 36 hours and ultimately merged in water on April 22, 2010. Just before the explosion the company was abou t to close down their Macondo well operation which was running since 9 years. This disaster cannot be seen as an unfortunate unseen disaster rather there were many possible factors identified which contributed to the disaster. There were around 390 maintenance related issues were highlighted during the safety audit conducted by BP on the oil platform. Also, the BP officials had a fair idea about the issues in the well safety device, but they completely ignored. There was also a leak on the control pod which was not treated even after workers complained to the authority. During the disaster a 450 ton hydraulic device which was responsible for preventing oil from blasting out from the drill hole was not working. From the above mentioned instances it will not be incorrect to say that this disaster was a result of the negligence caused on the part of the BP authority. Impacts This disaster had a substantial impact on the whole ecosystem. Marine species such as Bluefin tuna, sea turtle, tiger sharks, dolphins, seahorse etc. were affected and according to the ecologists their whole generation may suffer due to the presence of contaminated crude oil in the body. Many migrating birds either lost their way or died due to suffocation. Plant species were also affected (Sherwell Lawler, 2015). People living in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida rely mostly on the Gulf of Mexico for their earnings got affected badly. Tourism saw low fall due to which many people were left unemployed. The spilled oil cleanup in the Gulf area was the responsibility of BP. They used chemical dispersants, Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527 on the surface water which will likely to affect the growth of the aquatic species. Due to sinking of deep water horizontal Transocean and the insurance company Lloyd, London suffered a huge loss of $560 million. BP lost around 5 million barrels of crude oil into the sea which was $ 74.81 per barrel at that time (CPR, 2010). The trust of the shareholders got shaken due to the ignorant attitude of the management towards the faults and defects detected at the oil platform. Also, there was a huge financial losses faced by the stakeholders as a result their stock prices seen a low of $ 27.02 which was the lowest of the past 14 years preceding the disaster. The spill negatively impact the share prices of other oil companies as the investors and stakeholders became aware about the risk associated with oil exploration (BP, 2010). Legitimacy Theory Environmental issues have become a primary matter of concern for the companys shareholders and stakeholders. Company uses environmental resources for their supply of raw material to ensure uninterrupted production process and to ensure regular flow of profits. Often their action result into environment degradation and ignoring the environmental health completely. Stakeholders wants that the organization should not only focus on earning profits but also repay back the environment by adopting safe environmental policies and practices (Coglinese, 2005). Legitimacy theory states that the company should follow high disclosure norms to present themselves as socially aware corporate entities. According to this theory company can hide their negative impacts on environment by disclosing more about their good environmental practices to ensure stakeholders trust and retain investors. This theory talks about the perception of stakeholders that the companys operations are in boundary of acceptable social and environmental norms, beliefs and values. The perception is formed due to the disclosure made by the company in their annual report. Company should ensure legitimacy in order to get the continuous supply of raw materials and to ensure the trust of the shareholders (Summerhays DeVilliers, 2012). 4 Phases of Legitimacy Theory: Establishing legitimacy- This is the first phase of newly incorporated entities or organizations. They lack financial competency and they should analyze the socially accepted standards and behavior and perform their operations accordingly within the boundaries. Maintaining legitimacy- The organization should try to maintain their legitimate behavior in the front of its stakeholders and try to identify the potential threats that can risk or question their legitimacy. Also, community expectation regarding socially accepted behavior changes from time to time. So companies should try to perform their operation keeping in mind their expectations regarding environmental safety, product quality etc (Vanderlaan, 2009). Extending legitimacy- When a company grows and crosses geographical boundaries the perceptions and beliefs of people changes. The company should try to adapt the standards of potential stakeholders and implement a proactive strategy to ensure the legitimacy in the new market. Defending legitimacy- Whenever a company is faced by serious allegations regarding environmental issues or there are any accidents which affects both environment and society the legitimacy of the organization gets questioned. At this stage the organization should try to follow high disclosure policies regarding their safe environment practices in front of the society in order to gain their regain their confidence (Brennan, 2013). Components of Legitimacy Materiality: The organization should disclose all the material information which has a significant impact on the stakeholders opinion. In BPs tragedy shareholders had no idea regarding the risk factors involved in the oil exploration procedure After the incident happened many investors of other oil companies like shell got aware about the risks and impacts in the oil exploration fields and sold out the shares in the market as result share price of BP and other related companies fell drastically (OSHA, 2011). Stakeholders inclusiveness- The organization should not only address one stakeholders rather they should address each stakeholders according to their requirements. BPs shareholders were investors, shareholders, creditors, people whose income was dependent on gulf coast, tourism industry which got affected due to oil tragedy, media and newspapers etc. They announced claims for around 1, 70, 000 businesses which were affected due to explosion but there are still many associated parties are yet to be compensated (USGPO, 2010), Sustainability context- The organization should continuously address their societal and environmental issues and try to improve their sustainability standards by identifying their safety related issues and focus to work on it. BPs main reason of explosion was their negligence and their inefficient safety prevention tools (Olenski, 2014). Completeness- The organization should include the impact of their operations on environment and society in their annual report. Beyond Petroleum CEO Tony Hayward issued a statement that Gulf of Mexico is very large and the oil spill is very low in comparison to the volume of water. This statement shows the ignorant attitude of the company regarding such big tragedy. Later he did apologize but words once spoken cannot be taken back (Chen, 2010). Also they played a blame game by engaging themselves in a civil trial and try to put the blame on Transocean. In order to maintain trust and confidence of stakeholders after the oil spill disaster, BP should follow high disclosure practices. Though there are many unforeseen risks involved that cannot be predicted but they can follow appropriate safety practices to ensure risk minimization (BP, 2010). The company should follow legitimate theory as the risk of environmental damage is very high in oil exploration, so they should try to educate the stakeholders about the various safety practices which are followed by them in order to ensure safety of environment and worker s who are working on the oil rigs (BP, 2011). Apart from this accounting bodies such as FASB and AASB should enforce strict provisions regarding environment disclosure on the companies. Role of Regulators The major regulator in any economy is Government of that country. After the BP oil disaster the stakeholders pressure on government regarding organization unsafe work practices which ultimately harm the environment and employees have increased. Society wants government to make strict laws addressing environmental and societal issues. When crude oil was flowing on gulf coast the federal government instead of being proactive they relied on BP to clean the mess. There were many flaws and faults identifies on the oil rig before the explosion but no authority took concrete action to fix it. The governing body Outer Continental Shelf should organize timely audits to ensure safety at such vulnerable places. Many people employment source got affected and their compensation claims are pending in the civil courts. The government should ensure fast track hearings so that the people can get back to their regular lifestyle ans resume their earnings. Conclusion The report concludes that Legitimacy theory plays a very crucial role in maintaining the trust of the stakeholders. The trust of stakeholders is important to build a long term business value. Legitimacy can only be possible when there is a high disclosure from the side of the organization about all the significant environmental risks. The organization should practice sustainability business practices in order to minimize the possible hazards and disaster like oil rig explosion of BP and to be known as socially aware corporate entity in the society. References BP (2010) Deepwater Horizon Accident Investigation Report. Beyond Petroleum, US. Retrieved from https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/sustainability/issue-reports/Deepwater_Horizon_Accident_Investigation_Report_Executive_summary.pdf on 28 January 2017. Sustainability review, 2010. Beyond petroleum, US. Retrieved from https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/sustainability/group-reports/bp_sustainability_review_2010.pdf on 28 January 2017. Sustainability review, 2011. Beyond Petroleum, US. Retrieved from https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/sustainability/group-reports/bp_sustainability_review_2011.pdf on 28 January 2017. Brennan, K.(2013) A Stakeholder Analysis of the BP Oil Spill and the Compensation Mechanisms Used to Minimize Damage. University of South Florida, USA. Retrieved from https://www.usf.edu/business/documents/undergraduate/honors/thesis-brennan-katelyn.pdf on 28 January 2017. Chen, S. (2010) Crisis management 101: What can BP CEO Hayward's mistakes teach us? CNN, US. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/07/27/bp.tony.hayward.mistakes/ on 28 January 2017. Coglinese, C. (2005) Legitimacy and corporate governance. Harvard University, Massachusetts. Retrieved from https://sparky.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/CSRI/publications/workingpaper_11_coglianese.pdf on 28 January 2017. CPR (2010) Regulatory blowout. Center for progressive reform, Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://www.progressivereform.org/aboutCPR.cfm on 28 January 2017. Ingersoll, C., Reavis, C. Locke, M.R (2012) BP and the Deep water Horizon Disaster of 2010. MIT Sloan, Massachusetts. Retrieved from https://mitsloan.mit.edu/LearningEdge/CaseDocs/10%20110%20BP%20Deepwater%20Horizon%20Locke.Review.pdf on 28 January 2017. Olenski, S.(2014) Nearly four years after deepwater horizon, has BPs brand image recoverd? Forbes. Retrived from https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2014/01/24/nearly-four-years-after-deepwater-horizon-has-bps-brand-image-recovered/#3a0589b04d7a on 28 January 2017) OSHA (2011) Deep water horizon oil spill: OSHA s role in the response. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, US. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/oilspills/dwh_osha_response_0511a.pdf on 28 January 2017. Sherwell, P. Lawler, D (2015) BP oil spill: Five years after 'worst environmental disaster' in US history, how bad was it really? Telegraph, US. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11546654/BP-oil-spill-Five-years-after-worst-environmental-disaster-in-US-history-how-bad-was-it-really.html on 28 January 2017. Summerhays, K. DeVilliers, C. (2012) Oil company annual report disclosure responses to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Journal of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Accountability. Retrieved from https://www.unisa.edu.au/Global/business/centres/cags/docs/apcea/APCEA_2012_18(2)_Summerhays_deVilliers.pdf on 28 January 2017. USGPO (2010) The gulf oil disaster and future of offshore drilling. United States Government Publishing Office, US. Retrieved from https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-OILCOMMISSION/pdf/GPO-OILCOMMISSION.pdf on 28 January 2017. Vanderlaan, S. (2009) The Role of Theory in Explaining Motivation for Corporate Social Disclosures. University of Wollongong, Australia. Retrieved from https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1062context=aabfj on 28 January 2017.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Cigarettes - Addiction And Product Dangers Essays - Smoking, Tobacco

Cigarettes - Addiction and Product Dangers Matchmaker.com: Sign up now for a free trial. Date Smarter! Cigarettes - Addiction and Product Dangers It is clear that businesses have an obligation to inform their customers about their product's ingredients and dangers. Looking at the case of Rose Cipollone we see that she was a heavy smoker. Her doctor's had to remove part of her right cancerous lung and informed her that she had to quit smoking. Unfortunately, she was addicted. Her doctor's removed the rest of her lung that year and she finally quit smoking. She then sued the Liggett Group, the makers of the cigarettes she smoked. The lawsuit charged that the company knew of the link between cancer and smoking in the early 1940's. The company was found innocent of conspiring with other tobacco companies to hide the dangers of cigarette smoking but guilty on the grounds of falsely claiming its products were safe. However, things have changed. It is not 1940 anymore, when people were ignorant about the dangers of smoking. Tobacco companies now have Surgeon General warnings on cigarette packs. Unless they have been living under a rock, the general public should have been exposed to enough information by this time when it comes to cigarettes and addiction. Nicotine information is but a click away. Tobacco companies should no longer have the obligation to warn their customers, except if a new ingredient is added, in which case they should be notified. No one is saying get rid of the Surgeon General warnings, but enough is enough! If a person wants to smoke 3 packs of cigarettes a day, then that is their choice; tobacco companies should not be held responsible. Let us examine the hype surrounding the supposed danger and addition of nicotine. The Food and Drug Administration tells us that nicotine (the addictive drug found in cigarettes) is just as addictive as cocaine and should be illegal. "Much of the rhetoric of the anti-smoking movement seeks to demonize tobacco smokers as "nicotine addicts". In the past, of course, the term "addict" has been generally applied only to mind-altering drugs, e.g., heroin and cocaine. Even alcohol, which is mind-altering, is not generally referred to as "additive". So, the argument is one of semantics. If nicotine is addictive, so are chocolate candies, pies and cakes, etc. Indeed, if "addiction" is defined as dependence upon some chemical, everyone is addicted, to air!" Nicotine and cocaine are two different things. They may be just as addictive as each other but they certainly do not produce the same effect. Let us take a closer look at the properties of nicotine. "Nicotine is a chemical, C10H 14N 2, which is found in the tobacco plant. Anti-smokers are quick to point out that pure nicotine is a poison, used as a pesticide. And it's true that pure nicotine (a colorless, odorous liquid) is poisonous. What that means is that to kill a 180-lb man, he'd have to drink about 80 mg of the stuff. Many other common substances, however, also have minimum lethal doses. According to the same source, ingesting a gram of caffeine is fatal. Most of the nicotine in tobacco is lost in the process of smoking. Only a little finds its way into the smoker's bloodstream. That small quantity may account for some of the beneficial effects of smoking, e.g., improved mental concentration. Strangely, fine Havana cigars, when they were available, contained only 2% nicotine. If, in fact, nicotine is the reason why people smoke, it seems strange that people would pay enormous amounts of money for Havana cigars, which contain so little nicotine." (Colby, Chapter 11). Nicotine is quite different from cocaine. Here are most of the effects of cocaine: "The effects of any drug depend on several factors: The amount taken at one time. The user's past drug experience The manner in which the drug is taken The circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user's psychological and emotional stability, the presence of other people, the simultaneous use of alcohol or other drugs, etc.). Cocaine's short-term effects appear soon after a single dose and disappears within a few minutes or hours. Taken in small amounts (up to 100 mg), cocaine usually makes the user feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert - especially to the sensations of sight, sound, and touch. It can also temporarily dispel the need for food and sleep. Paradoxically, it can make some people feel contemplative, anxious, or even panic-stricken. Some people find that the drug helps them perform simple physical and intellectual tasks more quickly; others experience just the opposite effect. Physical symptoms include accelerated heartbeat and breathing, and

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Infectious Monucleosis essays

Infectious Monucleosis essays I Choose Mononucleosis for my disease report because it is a contagious illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), mainly know as the kissing disease. Mononucleosis really interested me because the disease is mainly found in people of the ages 15 - 24 which is transmitted by coughing, sneezing , kissing, or sharing of drinking glasses or eating utensils. Mononucleosis also know as Mono, is a contagious illness caused by the Epstain-Barr, The virus most commonly infects the liver, lymph nodes, and mouth. Mono is usually not a serious disease. However, its major symptoms fatigue and lack of energy can linger for several months, although the virus remains in your body for life. Some people with Mono have minimal symptoms, and the infection goes unrecognized. Mononucleosis is a respiratory virus that affects the blood cells and the salivary glands. Even though anyone can get mononucleosis, most people who get the illness are between the ages of 10 and 25. Most common symptoms of Mononucleosis are weakness and fatigue. Some other common symptoms are sore throat or swollen tonsils, fever and chills, nausea and vomiting, decreased appetite, swollen lymph nodes in the neck and armpits, headaches or joint pain, enlarged spleen, jaundice, and skin rash. Symptoms usually do not appear until four to seven weeks after exposure to EBV. Even though symptoms have not appeared, an infected person is still contagious. The illness is unpredictable. Many people never have to be bedridden because their illness is so mild. Some people apparently have mono and recover without knowing they ever had it. They may even be able to go about their usual activities, including athletics (with physician's approval), because the only effects of the disease for them may be some enlarged lymph nodes, blood changes, and perhaps minor sore throat and fatigue. Only in one or two cases out of a hundred will a physician need to co ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

US minority Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

US minority Politics - Essay Example This term usually gets used negatively and gets associated with race based prejudice, discrimination, violence or oppression (Bonilla 63). US politics gets affected by the way citizens have continued to view themselves racially through the years. This in turn affects them socially, economically, and, culturally. Racial theories Racism began way back in the 19th century when many scientists began to believe that human populations got divided into separate races. At this time, the idea of racism had fully matured (Spielberger 59). They used this to justify the belief that some races were less than others and deserved to get differential treatment. This theory got termed as the scientific racism. Scientific racism is a technique or hypotheses used to classify individuals into different phenotypes into discrete races or ethnicities. There is also proof that in the 18th century race existed. It became invented to magnify the differences between people during the American slavery (Egelman 46). They used this to get Africans to function as slaves. Authority at this time got based on reason rather than superstition or religion. The scientific racism got further supported by a German professor who created a science called craniology. This tried to use shape and dimensions of human skulls to measure intelligent ratios. He came up with the conclusion that the shape of the human skull limited his capacity for intelligence. He then placed the European at the top of all the civilized beings (Balogh 105). Another theory of racism is institutional racism. This is the treating certain groups preferentially or withholding benefits to certain groups based on racial characteristics gets institutionalized. It takes into account the belief that humans get divided into separate biological entities called races (Karim and Solomos 78). This causes people to think that inherited physical traits, traits of personality, morality, intellect, and other cultural behavioral features are linke d. Institutional racism gets displayed in nation states that become grounded in the racist ideology. This played a crucial role in colonialist times. It also came into picture in the fascist and Nazi regimes in Europe. The Marxist theory is the most common theory of racism. Racism directed towards African Americans, and other people of color has been the key and continuing feature of the U.S society. Its forms have changed from the obvious maltreatment to indirect inequalities. It is this sector of people that experience the highest rates of life expectancies, infant mortality rates, unemployment, poverty rates and stereotypes in the mass media. This outlines the Marxist theory that states that racism serves the interests of capitalist or employer class. This gets done by dividing black and white workers reducing their potential unity thus bargaining power (Egelman 120). The fact that the colored people in society suffer most injustices of life clearly shows that the Marxist class s ystem still carries through. Much of the social analysis that focuses on the inequalities and injustices in the U.S society has become influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx. There are jobs which get reserved for the whites who control production, capital and continually try to increase their profits. There are also psychological theories, which argue that, racism is a form of prejudice on the extreme. Psychologists also argue that it is an expression of the psychological process

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Solectrica car as a New Product Development Essay

Solectrica car as a New Product Development - Essay Example The market industry is indicated by a well-documented five forces analysis that well states the position of the company. The marketing development is described by the marketing mix policies that define the segmentation of the car. This leads to the required launch of the car in the effective UK and EU market. Solectrica car is a new brand of cars from Pessan Motors Ltd. This is a car that develops sufficient use of energy as different governments strive to reduce the rates of pollution to the environment. Industrialized countries have increasingly polluted the environment and with time, there is bound to be less sustainability to the environmental issues that are coming up (FÄ ±rat, 2013). There has therefore been a constant call to shift to energy saving machines especially the machines that are continuously done. Factual information shows that a single car generates half a ton of carbon dioxide within a very short time span. It is also estimated that there are 500 million cars in the world. The number is bound to double to more than a billion by 2030. This also means double pollution. There is rampant knowledge about use of environmentally friendly cars in the UK and therefore sensitization about the need to generate this type of car to capture this rapidly growing market. Solectrica cars are supposed to aim for this high reduction and there is even hope that some governments will effectively create regulations that will reduce manufacture of cars that are either using solar power or electric energy.  

Monday, November 18, 2019

CIR#2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CIR#2 - Assignment Example The increasing financial loses and security threats that America experience because of cybercrime triggered my interest in this topic. The article, â€Å"Cybercrime costs $575 billion a year, $100 billion to US† by Tal Kopan prompted me to address the current issue, cybercrime. Apparently, America accrues the largest cybercrime costs in the world. Indeed, America suffers financial losses amounting to about $100 billion that has led to significant job losses and a downturn in the economy (Kopan 1). Moreover, FBI Director aggravates the seriousness of the issue by showing how cybercrime and cyber espionage pose fundamental risks to Americans (Pelley 1). I feel that cyber-attacks are the dominant problem to global security, market, and technologies. The rise of hackers like the Anonymous exposes America to serious security, health, and financial risks. Currently, America is suffering huge financial losses and security threats subject to the increasing cyber-attacks on its systems. Cyber criminals are hacking social and financial accounts of internet users in America. They access private information and manipulate the victims to give them money. They are also hacking security systems using malware. Children are also victims of cybercrime. Only, internet censorship laws can contain this devastating

Friday, November 15, 2019

Ethical Issue Facing The Technology Industry Commerce Essay

Ethical Issue Facing The Technology Industry Commerce Essay Ethical issue facing industry (Charlie). We chose to take a look into the technology industry for our ethical analysis. We chose this industry because in todays world, technology has become a massive aspect in our everyday lives. Everyday technology is growing and become a bigger part in the world and the way it runs. Ethics is defined in the dictionary as, the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. So we wanted to look into an industry that has had issues and would be worth our time looking into. Some issues that face the technology industry for companies like Apple, IBM, and Google are production issues as well as the selling practices. Specifically for Apple, a big issue that they are facing is their both production and selling practices. Apple has their products made overseas in places like China while the goal of a company should be to increase jobs in the countries that they are in. Apple is also taking advantage of China and the fact that the average worker makes under $200 per week. Apple has decided to do this; however, because if they made their iPads in the United States, they would cost over $1,100. So yes, they may be doing the people a favor in terms of price by creating these iPads overseas, but at the same time they are taking advantage of a country in China because they know how cheap the labor market is there. We make products overseas because Chinese manufacturing jobs are paid 1/30th of the United States median salaries for manufacturing jobs (Thompson, Der ek). These businesses, especially Apple, are churning out products on a quick, regular basis. So what Apple has done is created a massive profit margin on their products so that they can keep creating new products, which are essentially software updates, instead of just allowing people to upgrade their software solely. Apple has made it so that their 32 gb iPad 2 sells for $729, but when you add up their labor and material costs to make these iPads, it only comes out to about $325. This gives Apple a profit margin of around 54% and allows them to have customers buy brand new products instead of just allowing them to upgrade the software on their products that they purchased within the past year (Thompson, Derek). Companies like Google are facing issues of being deceptive and need to show more Corporate Social Responsibility because their customer is the most important aspect of their company. Privacy International ranked Google as the worst in its survey, they say that Google is the worst when it comes to respecting their users privacy. Congress was also warned about applications that Google was marketing on Capitol Hill because people believe that there were privacy and security risks. Google also does not disclose its conflicts of interest; they keep their customers in the dark, also not fulfilling their social responsibility. Google says that they work for the people that use their site but Google really works for advertisers on their sites. People who use Google pay nothing to use it, so Google has a conflict of interest of whether theyre working for their users, who are their customers, or the advertisers on their site. This makes users of Google have a false sense of security while usin g the site and can put users at risk of being defrauded. Google is all about who will make them the most money, and not about doing things the right way. They say they hold auctions for awarding keyword searches to the highest bidder but to whoever makes Google the most money. Google has also been accused of stealing, which is neither ethical nor responsible. Viacom sued Google for a clearly illegal business model. Google is also being sued by no less than five different industries. Viacom is suing Google in the TV broadcasting industry. Motion Picture Association has sued Google over aiding the piracy of films by promoting sites that allow users to download movies without buying them. Some trademark owners have had Google sell keywords that are their brands, which in turn has created brand confusion. Book publishers and newspapers for things like copyright infringement, and illegal use of newspaper headlines have also sued Google. Google has shown little ethical compass as well. When former CEO Eric Schmidt was confronted about the fact that Google and their privacy issue, Schmidt said that they were not concerned with privacy and protection because it would slow down Google and their performance. Google has placed speed over their ethics and social respo nsibility to their users. It is clearly unethical to place profits and money over customers and ethics. (Cleland, Scott). Some ethical issues facing a company like IBM, which is big into things like Information Technology (IT). People who work in IT for IBM has several things that they need to look at. People in IT play a large role in helping shape ethical aspects of their organizations. IBM has to look into privacy and establish a freedom from intrusion for the customers as well as control of their customers personal information and as well as allowing customers to avoid unwarranted surveillance. IBM works to help their customers keep these three aspects intact. IBM is working to protect the privacy of their customers so they can avoid being defrauded and other problems that may arise. The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) has accused IBM of bribing officials in the governments of South Korea with both cash and free computers. These bribes supposedly helped IBM obtain contracts in South Korea that worth a supposed millions of dollars. IBM has also been charged with creating secret funds for officials in China as well. This shows how bribery overseas has become a large issue for United States companies. This showed a problem that IBM had in their department of internal controls to stop these problems. IBM was calling these payments as legitimate expenses that were used for businesses. IBM was essentially forging their books and records, also a very unethical practice. IBM was working with travel agencies to help create fake invoices. (Hilzenrath, David S). These businesses within the technology industry are where we thought we found the biggest ethical issues concerning social responsibility of the corporations in terms of things like bribery, privacy and other ethical issues. We believe these are the biggest issues facing companies today and thought it would be helpful to see how they affect such a large and growing industry in our world today. Pressures facing the industry (Alicia) There are many pressures that impact the technology industry. Most of the pressures that are growing for this industry come from employees, governments, consumers, suppliers, advocacy groups, and stakeholders. Some of the areas that are receiving attention with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are as follows: global responsibility, transparency with company information, environment issues, and safe labor practices (Cadmus, 2009). Global Responsibility Most companies in the technology industry, such as Apple, IBM, and Google, are Multinational Corporations (MNCs). This causes those companies to be in the spotlight as a leader. Consumers, governments, and advocacy groups for CSR expect these MNCs to step up and assume wider responsibilities in the social arena (Smith, 2003). Society sees big businesses that are growing globally and gaining more power, and they believe that with the power comes an obligation to attend to the community in which it operates (Smith, 2003). Apple, for example, is one of the most powerful companies in the world, let alone the technology industry. Because of that and the fact that they continually are innovating in creating new types of technology, people believe that Apple should use that innovation to help the world and contribute to social change. According to a Forbes article, Technology has become central to fighting disease, distributing food, improving education, and Apple should be a leader (Klein, 2011). Transparency Companies are receiving pressure from society to be transparent in their business practices. People, such as employees and stakeholders, are searching for the answers about how these companies are doing business and where their products are coming from. At this day and age, customers can find out any information they want about companies, with all of the social media available. Therefore, the pressure to be highly transparent about both good and bad things in the company is becoming more and more important (Monahan, 2012). The idea is that if businesses dont put their information out there, people will still find it and it will look as though the business was trying to hide that information from the public. Environment Activist groups are making a movement to make sure businesses are taking care of the environment while conducting their business operations. Of course there are government regulations that companies are legally supposed to follow, but there are also many groups that put the pressure on these companies to go over any beyond. As the need for energy increases, pressure increases on these technology companies to reduce materials used for their products, reduce effects of production processes in the environment, and use materials in production that have a smaller environmental impact (Business for Social Responsibility, 2011). Safe labor The media is really affecting how companies have been running with their unsafe labor standards. Businesses can no longer get away with child labor and unfair working conditions in foreign countries like they used to. If they do, they will most likely get caught because all of the different types of medias will find it and broadcast the companys unethical practices. Apple has become scrutinized in the media because of their unfair labor practices involving their manufacturing partner Foxconn and its subsidiaries (Sethi, 2012). Increased pressure on Apple and Foxconn has at least lessened their amount of unethical labor practices overseas, but it still hasnt done away with it completely. These pressures on the technology industry will likely decrease shareholder value on each firm if nothing is done about it. However, trends are showing that these firms are taking the pressures of ethical issues seriously. If the businesses continue to improve on their CSR, it is most likely that shareholder value and profitability will rise because of their ethical stance in society. Corporate social responsibility activities (Josh) CSR Activities IBM: IBM has shown in many ways that they support the communities they serve and strive to make not only themselves better but also the communities they operate in. IBM provided nearly $12 million in grants in 2011 to 4,000 schools and non-profit organizations where IBM members were volunteered. These grants were given to projects that applied innovation and professional skills to improve the communities that they served. IBM also has a grant program that gives up to $100,000 to innovative projects created by its employees that deal with healthcare, energy conservation and food safety. Along with this, IBM has a program that it calls Celebration of Service that encourages their employees to go out and volunteer at least eight hours for any cause that they wish support. Many individuals volunteered in areas of education, healthcare disaster relief and conservation. All-in-all, the program has yielded nearly 3.2 million hours of service from its employees in 120 countries across the globe. Lastly, IBM has a program that is called The Smarter Cities Challenge in which IBM sends top experts from different backgrounds to 100 cities across the globe for three weeks. While these experts are in these cities, they work with the local governments to make recommendations to try to make the city smarter and more effective. These recommendations come in the areas of administration, citizen engagement, economic development, education and workforce, environmental, public safety, transportation and urban planning. Through this program, IBM is trying to help make cities across the globe become more effective and efficient (2011 Corporate Social Responsibilities, 2012). Apple: Over the past year, Apple has tried to improve its appearance in the area of corporate social responsibility. Apple has made a significant effort to perform more audits on their supply chain. In 2011, Apple performed 229 total audits, 80% more audits than it did in 2010 with Steve Jobs as CEO. Of these 229 audits, more than 100 of them were performed on companies that had not been previously audited by Apple. Through these evaluations of its supply chain, Apple found several environmental and labor issues, but they claim to have handled the situation by enforcing their policies and helping their suppliers management teams to take corrective action to ensure that it would not happen again. Apple has also recently added 100,000 more manufacturing employees to its program to help ensure that its current employees do not exceed their 60-hour maximum hours a week (Supplier Responsibilites, 2012). Apple has also recently started a program for its employees that will match any employees don ation to a charity program of up to $10,000 (Hughes 2011). Apple has also made a conscious effort to reduce the amount of carbon emissions produced when manufacturing all of its products. In 2011, Apple reported that all of its products had a reduction in the amount of carbon emissions during the manufacturing process. Apple TV has seen 90% reduction in carbon emissions since 2007, MacBook Pro has seen a 21% reduction since 2007, and iPad has had a 5% reduction since 2010. Apple has also removed all of the toxic substances from its products that other companies still use, such as lead, mercury and arsenic in their glass screens. Because of this, Apple is years ahead of their competitors in technology, but also very socially responsible for taking these steps past their competitors to ensure their products will not harm the environment. Apple has also made all of its products extremely energy efficient. For example, an average 60-watt incandescent light bulb uses 48.4 grams of CO2 em issions per hour, while the 2011 MacBook Pro air only uses 7.4 grams an hour. All of Apples products not only meet the Environmental Protection Agencys strict Energy Star law, but they also exceed them. Lastly, Apple has made an effort to reduce and minimize the materials used in packaging its products. Since 2007, Apple has reduced the amount of packaging needed for the iPhone by 42 percent, allowing them to ship 80 percent more boxes in each airline-shipping container (Apple and the Environment, 2012). Google: Google has programs that give grants to select charitable organizations by giving them ad space on their site for free. Some of these organizations represent things such as animal rights, literacy to abandoned children and HIV education. Google has many other grant programs, especially supporting areas in Asian countries, giving grants to colleges and education programs. The most recent included giving 164 computers to the Green Computer Action for Poverty Alleviation. Google also attempts to be socially responsible with its environmental procedures. Google claims that to provide a user with three full weeks of streaming YouTube videos, Google only uses the amount of energy it takes to do one load of laundry. Googles data centers are some of the most efficient in the world, only using 50% of what the average data center uses. Not only does Googles data centers use less energy than most, Google has also began to use 33% of its total energy needed through renewable energy sources such as wind farms and solar panels on some of it facilities. Googles main focus is try to offset the carbon footprint it produces by investing in and using more renewable energy than it uses (A better web. Better for the envrinoment. 2012) In conclusion, not much was found IBM trying to improve its corporate social responsibility in areas of bribery and privacy. Although, IBM is still notably one of the most responsible companies in the industry and the world. IBM has many programs to help the communities that it operates in all across the globe. Next, Apple has made attempts to become more responsible within its supply chain and labor practices within the last two years. Apple has also maintained its solid reputation for being an environmentally conscious and consumer conscious company. They have made attempts implement change in the ways their production practices. Google, on the other hand, has not made many changes in the areas of deception and fraud. However, they are known for being a very environmentally friendly company. Social/Ethical Investment Policy Recommendation: In todays corporate society, it can be rather difficult to find a company that has strict adherence to ethical standards it has place for corporate social responsibility. However, there are some firms in the marketplace that are dedicated to both doing business in a socially responsible way and also increasing shareholder value. Therefore, it is important for Virginia Tech to take into account the corporate social responsibility of the companies for which they invest. Due to the fact that Virginia Tech is educating thousands of the worlds future business leaders, they should make sure they are setting the right example for America future. If Virginia Tech ignores how companies do business, and instead just focus on who can provide them with the cheapest price, it start a slippery slope among the young minds that receive their education at the institution. Also, since Virginia Tech offers an Ethical Leadership class that stresses the importance of corporate social responsibility, it w ould seem to very hypocritical if it were not to follow on the exact information it dissents to students. Therefore, it seems incredibly important to me that Virginia emerge as leader among state intuitions and makes ethical responsibility one of the main factors it uses when making investment decisions. Most of the reasons for Virginia Tech incorporating ethical issues into their investment decisions are ethical but there are also some financial aspects as well. First, Virginia Tech will need to accept the fact they often times the most ethically responsible company may not be the cheapest option out on the market. Therefore, they will need to plan for the fact they may end up with smaller investments or gains because the most ethical company may not necessarily be the best investment. However, just because Virginia Tech chooses to not invest in unethical companies with higher returns, does not mean the University will lose money. Simply put, the University will have to spend more searching for ethically sound companies that also reap high returns on their investments. Choosing to investment responsible companies will be a time intensive strategy that may not pay off in the short term, but long term will definitely have its benefits. Also, because of the amount of time spent searchi ng for ethically smart investments, the process may come under fire by shareholders (Fontinelle, 2012). Therefore, choosing to invest in responsible companies will be a difficult decision but one that is right for Virginia Tech in the long run. Clearly, Virginia Tech should be expected to make financial sacrifices in their investment decisions in order to make sure they are choosing the most socially responsible company. With the business strategy so clearly focused on the bottom line and not how a company achieves this number, Virginia Tech would truly be living out its Ut Prosim motto. By establishing itself as a company that will only invest in the most socially responsible companies, more and more industries will choose to follow this avenue. Virginia Tech is a large institution that investors would be enthusiastic to receive funds from. If Virginia Tech makes it clear that they will only invest in companies that have strict ethical standards, more companies will oblige to these rules to gain the Universitys business Therefore, the amount of unethical companies will diminish making investment choices for the University all the easier. By establishing itself as an an ethical investor, Virginia Tech could diminish the amo unt of irresponsible firms in the marketplace, while increasing the amount of companies that perform business in the right way. Investment Recommendations (Charlie) We believe that Virginia Tech could and should invest in firms in the technological industry. The technological industry is a massive industry and still growing every single day. It would be beneficial for Virginia Tech to get involved with companies in this industry because the world now runs on technology. The dependency of the world on technology has become incredible. Everyone knows how to use technology and everyone wants to be updated with the newest products. Yes, there are possible problems and ethical issues that arise in this industry, but it does not mean that everyone in this industry have problems arising constantly. This industry has been growing with such rapid pace that it would be beneficial for Virginia Tech to get invested in this area. Virginia Tech should most certainly favor firms that are more socially responsible in the technology industry. The most important thing when it comes to investing is making sure that you are investing in a company that has an investment in you. Virginia Tech needs to look into companies that have a history of being socially and ethically responsible. The returns may not be as great as the very top companies in this industry but if they go with a company that is socially responsible, they are less likely to run the risk of being hurt by the company not fulfilling their responsibilities. Virginia Tech is also a school that is big into technology as well and the best way for them to set a positive example is for them to invest in socially responsible companies. This will benefit companies that may not be at the very top of scale. This could start a trend where other schools and investors will be more open to the idea of investing in companies that are more socially responsible. This may turn the mentality of the investor by moving their motive from most profit to most socially responsible.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Red Badge of Courage :: essays papers

Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane has written many remarkable poems, short stories, and novels throughout his short life (He lived only to the age of 29). The Red Badge of Courage is a tale of war, life, responsibility, and duty. It has been considered the first ^great modern novel of war^(Alfred Kazin). It traces the effects of war on Henry Fleming, a Union soldier, through his dreams of battle, his enlistment, and his experience through serveral battles of the Civil War. Henry, ^the youth^, was a young man who lived on a farm with his mother. He dreamed about what fighting in a war would be like, and dreamed of being a hero. He dreamed of the battles of war, and of what it would be like to fight in those glorious battles. His mother was a wise, caring woman who had strong convictions about not wanting Henry to goto war. She is a very hardworking woman, and loves her son a great deal. She gave him hundreds of reasons why he was needed on the farm and not in the war. Henry knew his mother would not want him to enlist, but it was his decision to make. He dreamed of the battles of war, and of what it would be like to fight in those glorious battles. He didn^t want to stay on the farm with nothing to do, so he made his final decision to enlist. After enlisting he finds himself in a similar situation, with nothing to do. While there he becomes friends with two other soldiers, John Wilson, ^the loud soldier / ^the friend^ and Jim Conklin, ^the tall soldier^. Wilson was a loud spoken and obnoxious soldier who becomes one of Henry^s best friends. Jim was a tall soldier and was a childhood friend of Henry^s. He was always calm and matter-of-fact like. He also loves pork sandwiches as that is all he eats. Wilson was as excited about going to war as Henry, while Jim was confident about the success of the new regiment. Wilson is acts very confident, and boasts of how well he will fight. After a few days of marching, Henry realizes that they have been wandering about aimlessly in circles. They continue to march wothout purpose, direction, and fighting. During this time Henry starts to think diffrently about war, amore close experienced way. He starts to lose some of his ideals of war, and starts to become scared of running away from a batlle.