Improved Ethical Conduct Essay Example for Free

Improved Ethical Conduct Essay Improvement of ethical conduct is influential for the realization of sustainable social and economic development in any organization. Ethical conduct serves the important purpose of strengthening the reputation of an organization in the marketplace. In addition, improving ethical conduct is crucial in mitigating liability costs incurred by the organization. According to some economic and business management analysts, ethical business behavior in a company is instrumental in enhancing cooperation among its stakeholders, a move that functions to enhance the decision making process. This is also important in improving efficiency of executing business objectives. This paper is written in support of the thesis that companies should choose to understand, report on, and improve their ethical conduct as a crucial tool in ensuring sustainable competitive advantage in the market economy. Ethical conduct in an organization is important in protecting and strengthening the reputation of the company (Barnum, Richter, 1994). According to assertion by many people in the community, reputation of a firm is the most important marketing tool for its products. Numerous research findings have provided sufficient evidence linking the purchasing behavior of customers with the perceived reputation of the producing organization. Such findings have been explained by the fact firm reputation is closely attributed with quality and reliability of services, a factor that serves to enhance customer loyalty. In addition, reputation of an organization is important in protecting and enhancing investor confidence (Barnum, Richter, 1994). As an example is the financial scandal of Enron and WorldCom corporations in 2002. these scandals did not only lead to the collapsing of these two giant American corporations, but caused loss of billions of investor capitals, a move that compromised investor confidence in the firms. All these have the indication that enhancing ethical conduct in a company functions to ensure its competitive advantage. Still on improving ethical conduct in an organization is that it enhances the reputation of its individual employees. It has been evidently established that employee recommendations from some companies are highly recognized in the job market. This factor is driven by the fact that such companies have a strong corporate ethical code of conduct, a crucial element in defining the reliability and integrity of the individual. On the other hand, engaging in unethical business practices by individual employee serve both to enhance liability costs and compromise the reputation of the employee in the external job market. Another importance of improving ethical conduct in an organization is that it eliminates liability costs in the organization. According to the provisions of the American as well as international business laws, unethical behaviors by investments are subject to legal proceedings. This is because the law functions the purpose of protecting not only the interests of the firm but also those of the general public, a purpose that is negated by unethical business practices (Barnum, Richter, 1994). Based on this reasoning, it means that organizations engaged in unlawful practices serve to hurt the interest of customers and investors. As an example on improving ethical conduct to mitigate liability is the legal implications brought by the ZZZZ best carpet company. According to available information, the ZZZZ Company was involved in fraud activities to enhance its competitive financial position. However, following the revelation of the scandal, it management were subjected to legal justice and the worth of the organization auctioned to compensate investor who lost in the scandal. In addition, it is not uncommon to hear of customers filing damage cases against companies for falsified advertisements of products. Ethical business conduct is vital in ensuring efficiency of services provision in the organization. Instilling a corporate culture in an organization has it crucial function in ensuring commitment by employees serving in the organization. Just to be appreciated is the fact that the ultimate success of any organization is defined by its effectiveness in meeting the demands of its customers. On the other side, effective ethical conduct dictates for commitment of all stakeholders to the vision, mission, and objectives of the organization. Therefore, improving ethical conduct in an organization is important in improving it service provisions, thus ensuring sustainable competitive advantage of the organization in the marketplace. Improving ethical business practices promotes the decision making process in the organization (Barnum, Richter, 1994). Ethical business behavior serves to mitigate unfair dealings in an organization. It is worth noting that the decision making process of an organization is mainly driven by the financial stand of its investment. This is because such are the defining force of the measures necessary to enhance its economic expansion. This means that, without reliable financial accounting practices, the organization’s decision making process is deemed ineffective. Such practices are to be blamed for the downfall of the big corporations like WorldCom. Thus promoting ethical financial practices is crucial in enhancing the decision making process of an organization. In conclusion, business ethical practices are important component for the realization of long term competitive advantage of an organization in the marketplace. This is because they function to protect and strengthen the reputation of the firm as well as mitigating liability costs to the company. Thus companies should choose to understand, report on, and improve their ethical conduct as a crucial tool in ensuring sustainable competitive advantage in the market economy.

We Cannot Permit Infringements on Privacy Essay -- Privacy Essays

George Orwell foresees a nightmarish-future for the world in his book 1984, where individualism loses precedence to "the good of society," and with it goes the individual's private life. "The [controlling] Party" in the socialist government knows the intimate details of all citizens, and prosecutes those who violate social orders through threatening speech, behavior or thoughts. The omnipresent visual warning "Big Brother is Watching You,† reminds citizens that no personal information is safe from the "Thought Police." While this may seem far-fetched to some, Orwell envisioned technology facilitating government's abuse of power in 1950; in the twenty-first century, progress has left one's private life susceptible to interested parties in both the public and private sectors. In 1997, Ralph Nader cautioned, "The people are not organized not equipped with the knowledge, tools or skills to confront the invasions of the self they can see, let alone the far greater, more subterranean kinds of surveillance" (viii). With the rise of computers to their current capabilities, collecting, storing, accessing and sharing personal data has become easier than ever before: governments and companies no longer keep files of paper records on individuals, which accessing, stealing or sharing would be too arduous a task, but rather electronic databases that they can easily create, access and link. Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy note in their book The Right to Privacy, "From a privacy point of view, we are in the midst of the most unsettling period in [the computer] revolution" (326). Computers do not threaten personal privacy, though, nor violate any right granted to Americans: the word 'privacy' does not appear in the Constitution, nor does the p... ...rmation Center. â€Å"Double Trouble with the DoubleClick/Abacus Merger.† March 21, 2000. McWilliams, Brian. â€Å"Netscape Navigator Browser Snoops on Searches.† Newsbytes. March 7, 2002. "Finding Pay Dirt in Scannable Driver's Licenses.† New York Times, March 21, 2002: http://www.privacy.org Nicholson, Jonathan. â€Å"Account Info Sought to Combat Terror.† Reuters, February 26, 2002. Electronic Privacy Information Center. â€Å"Bill Track.† Electronic Frontier Foundation. â€Å"Analysis of the Provisions of the USA Patriot Act.† October 31, 2002. American Civil Liberties Union. â€Å"USA Patriot Act Boosts Government Powers While Cutting Back on Traditional Checks and Balances.† November 1, 2002. Additional Sources â€Å"Freedom of Speech, The EU Data Protection Directive and the Swedish Personal Data Act.† June 9, 2000. Online Privacy Alliance. â€Å"Privacy Initiatives by the Private Sector.† We Cannot Permit Infringements on Privacy Essay -- Privacy Essays George Orwell foresees a nightmarish-future for the world in his book 1984, where individualism loses precedence to "the good of society," and with it goes the individual's private life. "The [controlling] Party" in the socialist government knows the intimate details of all citizens, and prosecutes those who violate social orders through threatening speech, behavior or thoughts. The omnipresent visual warning "Big Brother is Watching You,† reminds citizens that no personal information is safe from the "Thought Police." While this may seem far-fetched to some, Orwell envisioned technology facilitating government's abuse of power in 1950; in the twenty-first century, progress has left one's private life susceptible to interested parties in both the public and private sectors. In 1997, Ralph Nader cautioned, "The people are not organized not equipped with the knowledge, tools or skills to confront the invasions of the self they can see, let alone the far greater, more subterranean kinds of surveillance" (viii). With the rise of computers to their current capabilities, collecting, storing, accessing and sharing personal data has become easier than ever before: governments and companies no longer keep files of paper records on individuals, which accessing, stealing or sharing would be too arduous a task, but rather electronic databases that they can easily create, access and link. Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy note in their book The Right to Privacy, "From a privacy point of view, we are in the midst of the most unsettling period in [the computer] revolution" (326). Computers do not threaten personal privacy, though, nor violate any right granted to Americans: the word 'privacy' does not appear in the Constitution, nor does the p... ...rmation Center. â€Å"Double Trouble with the DoubleClick/Abacus Merger.† March 21, 2000. McWilliams, Brian. â€Å"Netscape Navigator Browser Snoops on Searches.† Newsbytes. March 7, 2002. "Finding Pay Dirt in Scannable Driver's Licenses.† New York Times, March 21, 2002: http://www.privacy.org Nicholson, Jonathan. â€Å"Account Info Sought to Combat Terror.† Reuters, February 26, 2002. Electronic Privacy Information Center. â€Å"Bill Track.† Electronic Frontier Foundation. â€Å"Analysis of the Provisions of the USA Patriot Act.† October 31, 2002. American Civil Liberties Union. â€Å"USA Patriot Act Boosts Government Powers While Cutting Back on Traditional Checks and Balances.† November 1, 2002. Additional Sources â€Å"Freedom of Speech, The EU Data Protection Directive and the Swedish Personal Data Act.† June 9, 2000. Online Privacy Alliance. â€Å"Privacy Initiatives by the Private Sector.†

Response Journal for “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro Essay

Alice Munro’s â€Å"Boys and Girls† tries to view a young girl’s rite of passage into womanhood, through a limited feminist perspective. The narrator battles with conformity on a 1940’s Canadian Fox Farm. As this time period was still centred on male dominance, her desire to become a powerful woman wastes away when she finally submits to the rules that society has imposed on her. The story is written in first person narration and is seen through the eyes of a young and free-spirited girl. The themes of this story are self-discovery, stereotypes, and rebellion. To portray these themes, literary devices such as allusion, similes and situational irony were used. Allusion is present in the line â€Å"his favourite book in the world was Robinson Crusoe,† as the author attempts to portray the father’s inventive nature by relating it to a well-known novel. Similes can be seen in the narrator’s descriptions of her environment as she states that the â€Å"snowdrifts curled around the house like sleeping whales,† to bring to attention the howling of the winds. Situational irony is evident throughout the story because the narrator despises her mother for being a woman and working in the house, but in the end, she too develops into a woman and takes on the roles of the title. This story of inequality between the sexes appropriately opens with a detailed account of the narrator’s father. The narrator describes every aspect of her father’s life, including his occupation, and even his friends. Throughout this first part of the story, the narrator’s mother is virtually inexistent, outside her disapproval of her husband’s pelting business. The reader is left uncertain about the mother’s whereabouts, but is aware that the father figure is somewhat of an idol in the narrator’s mind. As a young girl, the narrator, holding on to her carefree spirit and strong sense of individualism, is unaware of the constraints of her gender. Although she is the main character, the narrator is not given a name. This seems to enhance her lack of purpose in society, and stresses that the attitude of the narrator is not that of just one woman, but women in general. Munro’s decision to allow the narrator to remain nameless assists in the progress and significance of the character. The narrator’s brother, however, is given the name of Laird. Synonymous with â€Å"lord,† the boy’s name plays an important role in outlining the rules society has forced upon the narrator. This name symbolizes society’s favouritism towards men, and how the male child was superior in the eyes of the parents. The fact that the narrator remained anonymous, whilst her brother was given the name of Lord, signifies the difference between the sexes at the time. It is quite odd that Munro used the girl to portray the feelings of female stereotyping of this story. Munro captures the attention of her audience through the lines, â€Å"It was an odd thing to see my mother down at the barn. She did not often come out of the house unless it was to do something- hang out the wash or dig potatoes in the garden.† These lines are full of sexism and serve only to relay the common roles that women were forced into. Although aware that the girl would much rather spend time with her father, the family constantly attempts to encourage her to act as a proper girl should. The fact that the narrator idolizes her father, just provides further proof of her strive to gain equality. As the girl grows older, the pressure from her family becomes more intense. The narrator’s grandmother comes off as the perfect example of the how women were thought of at the time. Having been raised in a time where the rules imposed on women were even stricter, the grandmother best voices what the attitude of a girl should be. The narrator, however, refuses to listen to the advice offered to her, and responds with defiance. The girl still seems to believe that if she does not conform to society’s rules, she can hold on to her freedom and will somehow be able to escape with her individuality. It is only through the killing of the horse, Flora, that the narrator finally assumes her appropriate gender roles and enters her rite of passage. To help Flora escape her inevitable fate, the narrator leaves the gate open. It seems as though the narrator believed that it was the gate that held Flora back from the freedom she was entitled to. Flora, however, could never escape her fate and was eventually caught and killed. Through Flora’s death,  the narrator comes to realize that her acts of disobedience will always be in vain because her fate is unavoidable. The gate symbolizes the girl’s hope of liberation outside of the farm. The war against society could not be won, so she gives up and proceeds to help her mother with dinner. By assuming the roles of a woman, she completes her rite of passage into womanhood. The killing of Flora also leads to Laird’s rite of passage, though in his case this is the cause of different reasoning. Whereas the narrator learns that she cannot escape her fate, Laird visualizes a new life for himself. He reaches maturity by priding himself in his kill, symbolized by the horse’s blood. He boasts to his mother about the blood on his arm, and feels as though he is finally man enough to stand beside his dad. This is part of the symbolism behind the name â€Å"Boys and Girls,† as the contrasting natures of the two children are portrayed. In order to advance her feminist viewpoint, Munro touches upon only the minor aspects of the female stereotypes. She focuses on the girl’s newfound interest for fashion, beauty and decor to portray her femininity, rather than the harsher traits that were frequently placed on women. The author uses this limited feminism to stress the fact that this protest and change were the actions of a mere child that had not yet seen the full effects of prejudice. When taking into consideration the time period and setting, it can be clearly understood why the narrator and her brother both conformed to their gender-specific roles. As the world entered into the Second World War, women replaced their husbands in the workforce and started gaining recognition. However, because this story takes place in the rural side of Canada, the war’s social impact does not seem to have yet reached this area. The narrator’s mother being just a simple housewife causes the narrator to have a negative bias towards her, illustrating how women are looked down upon by society. Through her ultimate disapproval of her father’s inhumane occupation, the narrator reveals a side that is driven by emotion. Her concern for the helpless animal’s well-being displays her affectionate and loving character. Alice Munro’s story of â€Å"Boys and Girls† is an enlightening tale of the struggle that each child undergoes in discovering their own identity. The author insists throughout the story that the narrator’s acceptance of her place in society is influenced by her family and setting. Her resistance is useless because she has no choice but to conform into a proper woman. She is forced to hide her yearning for individualism in order to be socially acceptable. Current literature uses the feminist approach to convey the views of oppressed women, but Munro’s use of the limited amount of feminism allows the reader to make up their own opinion on the matter.

The Genetic Modification Of Food - 1654 Words

The genetic modification of food is a very argue subject around the world founded by Monsanto, a company complex in geoponic technology, in the 1980’s (Wikipedia). Since then, many other companies have also started to alter their food to avoid using pesticides. Genetically modified foods as foods produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering (Wikipedia). There are many different views concerning GMOs and quest the ideological and moral arguments related with this subject. Survey factors affect the decision of nations or each person on whether GMOs are condensing or harmful to health. Veganism is a â€Å"type of vegetarian diet that refuse meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients† (Hackett, 2014) . Interview someone who followed veganism but became vegetarian, vegans don’t support GMOs. They â€Å"like to eat as close to nature as possible† and believe tha t genetic engineering is altering nature†. (EttINGER, 2012) This is why vegans don’t eat meat, because animals are fed GMOs. Such as corn and soy just to make them fat up faster despite harm health issues related with these unnatural diets. Vegans believe that the change â€Å"turns the whole plant itself into a chemicals, literally† which can cause severe don t like, organ fail, hormone imbalances, weight raise, behavior and development issues, â€Å"to name a few† (EttINGER, 2012). As there are so many side effects due to eating GMOs,Show MoreRelatedGenetic Modification Of Food And Plants1228 Words   |  5 PagesGenetic modification of food/plants Genetically modifying food is also known as genetically engineering food or GM food. The process of genetically modifying food starts with genes. Genes are sections of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and DNA is made of a complex chemical compound that is made up of molecules called nucleotides, the molecules in the DNA determines the characteristics of living things. DNA has a strand which contains a genetic code that has instructions for specific protein; proteinsRead MoreGenetic Modification of Food Essay3178 Words   |  13 PagesBACKGROUND INFORMATION To begin, a brief distinction among the terms â€Å"genetically engineered,† â€Å"genetically modified organism,† and â€Å"genetically modified food† will be made. Quite frequently, these terms are used interchangeably despite having different meanings. Genetic engineering refers to scientific methods (the actual processes) in which deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) genes from an organism are introduced directly into another (regardless of sexual compatibility) for a desired outcome. The plantsRead MoreGenetically Modified Foods : Genetic Modification1605 Words   |  7 PagesGenetically Modified Foods Based on our studies, for years ancient farmers had been altering the genetic makeup of many crops. The old day approaches used to be simple and new varieties of produces were made through a mixture of trial and error, without knowing the exact function of the genes being moved around. The ancient farmers would pick an organism with a favorable trait or characteristic and would match them with some distantly related species through forced pollinations (Wilson, 2013). AccordingRead MoreGenetic Modification : Genetically Modified Foods Essay1405 Words   |  6 Pages145111 LAB 1: Two WebPages on Genetically Modified Foods http://www.sustainabletable.org/264/genetic-engineering and http://findourcommonground.com/food-facts/gmo-foods/ -Critical Evaluation: A Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is a plant or animal that has had its DNA modified through the integration of genes from a different organism into its own genetic genomes (Zaid et al., 2011). Genetic Modification is claimed to create more drought and disease tolerance (CommonGround, 2015), but thereRead MoreShould Genetic Modification Of Food Be Permissible?2176 Words   |  9 PagesShould Genetic Modification of Food Be Permissible The present builds upon itself in a never-ending fashion bringing about manifestations of the future and leaving a historic trail. The world is changing, the human population is growing, and mass production is inevitably putting small/local professionals and farmers out of business. Although Mother Nature was the sole provider in genetic adaptation throughout history long before humans walked the earth, humans can now manipulate Mother Nature’sRead MoreEssay Genetic Modification Food in Our Lives801 Words   |  4 Pagesgoing too. With tax money constantly being spent, we wonder where is all the money going too; one solution is to our foods in are local town stores. Genetically Modified Foods have surfaced into America in the early 1990’s and ever since then been a part of our lives. Approximately 80% of American processed foods contain some form of genetic modification. These products include foods, seeds, medicines and vaccines. It’s an epidemic in my opinion , the worst common factor is that G.M.O seeds cross pollinateRead MoreIndividuals Educated in Biology or Who Are Health Conscious Are Opposed to the Genetic Modification of Foods1324 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: Genetically modified foods are food products that have had their genetic make-up altered or changed using various genetic engineering techniques. This includes inserting foreign DNA in to an organism in order to introduce favourable traits or enhancing, altering or removing existing features of organisms. These are techniques that do not occur naturally in the environment and therefore GM is capable of creating the â€Å"ideal† organism. GM is used for various reasons but is usually advantageousRead MoreThe Effects Of Genetic Modification On The Environment And The Human Race1475 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough many oppose the genetic modification of crops, genetic modification also poses an opportunity to lower the price of crops and increase production, which could help solve world hunger. While it may seem like negative effects would be outweighed by the possibility of solving world hunger, an important issue, the conceivably detrimental effects on the health of the enviro nment and the human race would outweigh the humanitarian goal of stopping world hunger. Genetic modification of crops is not theRead MoreThere Have Been Ongoing Debates About The Adoption Of Gmos1487 Words   |  6 Pagesof GMOs over natural food growth. Out of these discussions, there is a rising need to do research on genetically modified food verses naturally grown food. According to (Mary Colson., 2017), Genetically Modified food can be defined as a growing plant or animal that is modified and grows not a normal, natural way. The growth of this plant, animal or microorganism is triggered by altering its genetic material. The genetic material is usually changed in a way that makes the food not to occur naturallyRead MoreBiological Basis. There Are Few Topics That Are More Controversial1260 Words   |  6 Pagesproduction of genetically modified plants for human consumption. Genetically modified plants are created through transgenic processes that rely on recombinant DNA technol ogy. This is a process in which farmers and crop growers are able to incorporate genetic material that would not normally be innate to the composition of the plant. There are several reasons that this represents a valuable process for farmers. A crop could be made to be grow more resistant to bad weather, destructive illnesses, or bugs