The Interfaith Theologi Dietrich Bonhoeffer - 2747 Words

The Interfaith Theologian: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Religious Diversity is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society and the fact that in a given society there exist a multiplicity of religions together. (Religious Tolerance.org) Theology is the study of God. Whose God, could be the question? This question should lead to interfaith dialogue. The coming together of these two prominent aspects can be a positive experience or can highlight the weakness in humankind. When religious diversity is ‘tolerated’ or better still, accepted as part of the community, it can have an amazingly positive effect on society. However, it depends on the lives of all those within the community and their attitudes. As Bouma (2011) stated, â€Å"Knowing who your neighbour is, helps build trust, respect and a productive harmonious society.† This is further supported by the Interfaith Amigos, (2012), when they argued that to live harmoniously we need to remember or learn, the core teachings of the various religious beliefs. The Jewish religion is based on the core teaching of the evolving awakening to oneness, the Christian faith is surrounded by the teaching of unconditional love, whilst the Islamic religion has the core teaching of compassion. Compassion for oneself and compassion for others. All these religious belief system s ask of its followers the same thing, tolerance, acceptance of other’s choices, in the hope of living as

The Characteristics Of Leonardo Da Vincis The Dwarf

Leonardo da Vinci was a very intellectual man who had a sparking curiosity in the history about people and life. He contributed so much to the field of physiology. It is believed that almost all of his paintings are based on the anatomical structure behind it. Da Vinci was interested in studying the formation of living things. He is fascinated by the human anatomy. â€Å"Leonardo learned anatomy initially from the old Greeks and Romans. Leonardo immersed himself in human post-mortem examinations. He critically examined 30 human corpses at a time when nobody was performing these examinations. He went from fetuses to babyhood to old age. He wanted to recognize each part of the human body, including bones, muscles, ligaments, nerves, and the†¦show more content†¦He was so fascinated by what he doing†¦nothing else was seemed to exist for him except his nauseating occupation. His face was as delighted as though he were at a festival.† This piece of evidence strongly supports my claim because it directly states the observation and description on Da Vinci’s state- of-being and eludes the same information provided in different articles. Because Bernardo is a character in a novel, a more detailed and vivid image is imprinted in the brain of the reader (Lagerkvist 65, 36, 37, 39). Anatomy took a large part in the three years it took to create and perfect Mona Lisa’s smile. Da Vinci spent hours in the morgue studying many cadavers and pulling off their skin to revel the muscles around the mouth. He was intrigued to know how a smile forms, but was more astonished and curious about the relationship between the brain and the nervous system. He experienced difficulties for the lips are small and the nerves go deep into the body. He kept a journal with sketches he made of his observations. One drawing included the dissection of two arms and hands; he then placed them next to different face profiles. He observed different kinds of facial expressions and developed how to create an angry facial expression. â€Å"Make the nostrils drawn up, causing furrows in the side of the nose, and the lips arched to disclose the upper teeth, with the teeth parted in order to shriek lamentations.† Mona Lisa appearsShow MoreRelatedExploring The Different Values Placed O n Art Works Essay9463 Words   |  38 Pagesvalues placed on art works Mona Lisa – Leonardo Da Vinci 1506 - The Mona Lisa, 1503 - 1506, painted on poplar wood (77 x 53cm) with oil paint. This composition was created by Leonardo Da Vinci, a Quattrocento artist of the Italian Renaissance between the years of 1503 - 1506. The Mona Lisa is unquestionably acclaimed, with great artistic merit and value, to be the most highly revered, renowned painting. This form of art is a portrait, in which Leonardo Da Vinci has painted ‘une donna vera’ in a

Comparative Global Business System

Question: Describe about the Comparative Global Business System. Answer: History The African continent is inspires the world in terms of civilization and extraction of human origin. Archeological research support the fact that development of mankind occurred in Africa. First time in Africa, when only proto-bacteria to dinosaur dwells special kind of Ape known as Australopithecines appeared walk on two legs. The existence of Neolithic rock carving makes a point of existence of hunting and gathering culture in the grassland of Sahara Dessert of North Africa. Interesting fact is that Africa started agriculture in 6000 B.C. the break from Africa to the wider world occurs 100,000 years ago when a group moves towards North Africa. Africa is the oldest and enduring landmass of the world (Shillington, 2012). Figure showing culture of ancient Africa source (Shillington, 2012) Economic status Africa has a wide difference in terms of economy. Parts of sub-Saharan Africe are in the lower rank in terms of Gross National Income it has GNI of $765 per person in a year. Ethiopia and Burundi have the lowly GNI of $90 of per person. Countries with middle income people such as Gabon and Botswana contain moderate income level. While, North Africa are in better position than Sub-Saharan where economics are stable along with trade and tourism is high (BBC NEWS, 2016). Figure showing different income in different parts of Africa source (BBC NEWS, 2016). Education The education of Africa is under crisis with 128 million school-aged children 17 million never even attending school. On that among 800, 00 students 213,000 failed in the end of school examination. Though Africa contributed 6% of its GDP in education but the quality of education is not there for every student. Childrens in most areas had to travel 30km to go their schools. The schools in Africa mostly lack quality teaching and proper structured process in learning. There are 11 official languages in South Africa but most often they are teach in English especially math and science. The rate of absenteeism is also more in African schools (Nishimura and Yamano, 2013). Figure showing level of education in South Africa source (Nishimura and Yamano, 2013) Political The African people face problems in relation with leadership. It became the main problem for its political instability. Political turmoil affects the growth, infrastructure as well industrialization in Africa. Mostly, the leaders faced nation-building along with the hold of political power. The growth of conflict, along with terrorism in North Africa and Middle East and political violence in province of East Africa which enables the rise of political instability. Since 2010, many countries experienced political risk in which Africa is one of them. Political instability became a block for companies of Africa. The political violence in Nigeria along with northeastern border Cameroon, Niger and Chad made thousands of people to lost their life. In the north Libya faced the civil war with General Khalifa and Haftar along with the Islamic groups like Ansar al-Sharia (Halpern, 2015). Figure showing political instability in Africa source (Halpern, 2015) Employment The education of Africa is in crisis the only way is the vocational training that they take most of the time. But, with competition employment with vocational training is not enough. South Africa leads the unemployment rate with 25% in 2015. The rate increased to 26.7% in March. The ratio increased within last three months comparing with the ratio of January which was 24.5%. Since 2000, South Africa lowest unemployment rate was 21.50%. The reason for such rate in unemployment is because of legacy of apartheid, crisis in education and training, weaker in demand for labor and lack of entrepreneurial interest. Along with that increase rate of crime is also the reason for high unemployment rate (Anyanwu, 2013). Figure showing South Africa unemployment rate Source (Anyanwu, 2013). Infrastructure Africa has a poor infrastructure, though the President of South of Africa planed to spend $97 billion on infrastructure over the next three years. The concentration on infrastructure is to access return on certain investments. Africa suffers from low level of productivity in agriculture with constant famines. Rural infrastructure can be explained as poor in terms of transportation, irrigation, energy and telecommunication. The given study explains that its infrastructure deficit accumulates as a barrier for the growth of Africa. While, some estimates puts on the budget of Nigeria alone with $15 billion per year. The African Bank issued $40 billion bond for the development of its infrastructure (Herbst, 2014). Figure showing Africas infrastructure in comparison with the needs Source (Herbst, 2014) Development Rate The growth of Africa has slowed down to a measurable extent coming to 3.0% in 2015 from 4.5% in 2014. Among these years the weakest pace is from 2009. Per capita growth has slowed down weighted down by the growth of population. The price of oil, gas minerals and metals has force to lower to a great extent. Africa being the leader of exporter deeply affected from the falling price of commodities. It gives pressure to the current account as well as fiscal balance. Rising violence and the conflicts further hampers the development of Africa. The cost of doing business in Africa in short hampers the growth and productivity level (Cammett, 2013). Figure showing the GDP growth of Africa and Asia Source (Cammett, 2013) Worldwide raking of Africa South Africa positioned as 53rd in the most spirited country out of 148 countries reviewed in 2013/2014 in the competitiveness Index World Economic Forums Global. Global growth currently measures 3.1% in 2015 which is projected to grow 3.6% in 2017. The Ivory Coast Africa is the fastest growing economy. The West African nations are expected to grow on 8.5% this year (Hardoy et al., 2013). Figure showing world GDP Source ( Hardoy et al., 2013) Export Import Botswana and South Africa are major exporting countries of the Africa. South Africa is one the prime manufacturer in gold and diamonds. The nation consists of a well defined system in law. The key exporters of African nation are the palm oil, oil, gold and diamond, timber, cocoa, and precious metals. Nigeria is the worlds largest oil producer as it produces 3.2 million barrels per day. Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and Angola also exports oil to other countries. African mainly imports medical supplies and food. Other than that they import chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, machinery and equipment (A Turning Point for Agricultural Exports to Sub-Saharan Africa, 2016). Figure showing Sub-Saharan Africa agricultural imports 2014 source (A Turning Point for Agricultural Exports to Sub-Saharan Africa, 2016) Reference List: BBC NEWS. (2016).News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2016. Shillington, K. (2012).History of Africa. Palgrave Macmillan. Nishimura, M. and Yamano, T., 2013. Emerging private education in Africa: determinants of school choice in rural Kenya.World Development,43, pp.266-275. Halpern, M. (2015).Politics of Social Change: In the Middle East and North Africa. Princeton University Press. Anyanwu, J. C. (2013). Characteristics and macroeconomic determinants of youth employment in Africa.African Development Review,25(2), 107-129. Herbst, J. (2014).States and power in Africa. Princeton University Press. Cammett, M. (2013). Development and Underdevelopment in the Middle East and North Africa. Hardoy, J.E., Mitlin, D. and Satterthwaite, D., 2013.Environmental problems in an urbanizing world: finding solutions in cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Routledge.

The change in Scrooges character Essay Example

The change in Scrooges character Paper Scrooge is described as a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! at the start of A Christmas Carol and as a man who became as good a friend, as good a master and as good a man, as the good old city knew at the end. In Charles Dickens Classic Novel A Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge is a bitter old man. At the beginning of the novel Scrooge has reached a point in his life where he is a wealthy business man but is horrible to everyone and is disliked by many because he behaves so badly. Scrooge comes across as a man who is angry with the whole world, bitter and twisted and even though many may think that money buys you happiness this has not happened for Scrooge it seems the more money that he has the more miserable he became. Before Scrooges old partner Marleys ghost first appeared to Scrooge, Scrooge had been mean to several people that day including his inoffensive nephew who he told every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart he should Scrooge had also been unkind to Bob Crachit his clerk as he begrudged giving the poor man Christmas day off of work Youll want all day tomorrow, I suppose? We will write a custom essay sample on The change in Scrooges character specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The change in Scrooges character specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The change in Scrooges character specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Scrooge asked Crachit as Scrooge did not want to give Crachit Christmas day off even though he knew that Crachit had a family and a disabled son he wanted to be with. Two men who were collecting for the poor and destitute visited Scrooge in hope of a donation for charity and were sent on their way he told them I dont make merry at Christmas and I cant afford to make idle people merry The way in which Scrooge behaved to these people showed what a miserable unkind sole he was. Marleys ghost told Scrooge that three spirits will visit him Scrooge said I I think Id rather not Scrooge did not seem interested in changing his way of life and just wanted to be left alone. When the first of three spirits arrived it took Scrooge back through his past life back to when he was a child it showed Scrooge how unhappy he was the ghost reminds Scrooge that he was A solitary child, neglected by his friends Scrooge remembered how he felt as that child and was saddened by this, he also remembered how earlier that day he had chased away a young carol singer from his door by threatening to hit him with a ruler. Scrooge felt a pang of guilt for the way in which he had treated the lonely young boy. They continued their journey through Scrooges childhood and Scrooges mood was lightened by seeing many things from his past. They came to Scrooges sister who obviously adored him as she hugged and kissed a young Scrooge as she addressed him as her dear, dear brother. The young Scrooge seemed to love his sister very much and seemed delighted to be around her. Scrooge spoke to the spirit about his sister with great love and admiration. After this Scrooge seemed uneasy when the spirit spoke of his sisters son who had visited him earlier that day you feel as if Scrooge was feeling a bit guilty for the way in which he had treated his nephew. Scrooge and the first spirit then travelled to where Scrooge worked when he was an apprentice he saw his friend Dick who was a fellow apprentice and Scrooge and the spirit watched Old Fezziwig who they worked for entertain them at the company Christmas party. After watching himself as a young apprentice and seeing how Old Fezziwig treated him and all his fellow workers Scrooge began to feel guilty for how he had treated Crachit his Clerk the spirit asked Scrooge What is the matter? Scrooge eventually told the spirit No, I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now Scrooge at this time has realised that he has been a terrible employer to his clerk. The second spirit who visited Scrooge the ghost of the Christmas Present again took Scrooge to see people outside rushing around happily preparing for Christmas. The Spirit and Scrooge visited Bob Crachits house Scrooges clerk who was preparing for Christmas dinner with his family, Scrooge saw how excited the whole family were about Christmas dinner, he saw tiny Tim who was Cratchits disabled son he saw how the whole family rallied around him to make him comfortable. Scrooge asked the spirit Tell me if Tiny Tim will live Scrooge seemed to have feelings and felt concerned for Tiny Tim. Scrooge watched as Crachit toasted I give you Mr Scrooge the founder of the feast The whole family toasted Scrooge to make their father happy but Scrooge could see that none of them genuinely wanted to toast him and they all felt he was an ogre. The family again continued with their celebrations and Scrooge could see how happy the family was. After visiting Crachit the second spirit took Scrooge to his nephews house again they watched his nephew and his wife and their guest enjoy the Christmas celebrations they laughed and laughed and had a wonderful time. Even though Scrooge had over the years been miserable when his nephew The three spirits had an enormous impact on the rest of Scrooges life he realised that money was not the only thing that mattered and living life with people around you made a difference. Helping others was not a crime but actually something that would give him pleasure. He realised that people had mostly treated him well throughout his life until he became an old miser and after seeing how his employer had treated him when he was younger. Scrooge was able to see that he could help Bob Crachit and his family financially and by making Crachits working hours less so he could spend more time with Tiny Tim he would make his life happier. He also sent Bob Crachits a large Turkey as this was what Bob Crachit had wanted. After seeing his sister and himself when they were younger and seeing his nephew on Christmas day he realised that it would be fun to be part of his family again and so both the ghost of the Christmas past and the Ghost of the present helped Scrooge see family was important. Scrooge also gave to charity after meeting the three spirits as they were able to show him that charity was a good thing. Scrooge became to close to Tiny Tim he was a second father to him which showed he was a compassionate man. Scrooge had lost sight of what was important in life he had become obsessed with money and this had brought him nothing but misery as he did not want to share his good fortune with others. The spirits had shown him the error of his ways and he became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man and everyone who knew him would of agreed.

A Public Relations Campaign Plan

Introduction Over the recent times, there has been an increased use of public relations campaigns to help better various industries and sectors, not just in the USA alone, but in the world, at large. As an example, Gordon (2011) says that a survey conducted by Wanted Technologies shows that â€Å"the PR industry is hiring 10% more than it was at this time last year.†Advertising We will write a custom report sample on A Public Relations Campaign Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This hiring has, however, not just been limited to industries like colleges, universities, family services or social organizations but it has spread even to delicate industries like the medical world. According to Gordon (2011), â€Å"It is no surprise that healthcare-related organizations are hiring as that is certainly an industry that is shielded a bit from cyclical ups and downs of the economy.† Going by the increased hiring, it is the refore safe to assume that more people and organizations are finding public relations quite useful in passing some information to the public or communicating certain ideas to the targeted audiences, which, really, is a commendable thing. As a matter of fact, amongst the numerous crucial aspects of life, health stands among the most elemental ones since it hugely determines the quality of life we live. The healthier a person is, the higher the chances are for that person to live a long life. Of course, there are some factors like becoming a victim of an accident which also duly influence how we live. However, things like accidents are beyond our control so its best to avoid them for now. Even more significantly, it is worth stating that the current world which is highly commercialized essentially means that the quality of life we get, including health, is immensely dependent on how financially empowered we are. It is based on this reason that the management of financial aspects of he alth is extremely important, not just the people who direly require good healthcare, but also for lawmakers and policymakers who are in charge of making laws that govern the type of healthcare that we get (Finkler, 2007, pp.173-175).Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Recent studies conducted by the various scholars across the world indicate that although immense progress has been made regarding the provision of good healthcare systems, there are still many strategies, policies, laws and rules that need to be put in place so as to improve the nature of the current healthcare systems. In the USA, for example, there have been complaints regarding increased healthcare costs (in spite of the government’s promises to reduce the same), a lack of stringent rules to guide people, especially the young, on proper usage of prescribed drugs, inability to take care of the health n eeds of the low income families in the society or even the failure of the mass media is spreading relevant information to the public which can positively influence the current healthcare systems which are unfortunately spiraling downwards and the failure of concerned parties to own up to their mistakes and seek for improvements (Levco, 2011; Government Printing Office, 1998, pp.15773-15778). It is based on the above problems, or rather challenges, in America’s healthcare systems that this paper focuses on giving a circumspect documentation of a prospected public relations campaign aimed at facilitating change regarding legislations around free prescriptions for persons under the age of 16. The prospected timeline of this plan is 6 months from now. Consequently, everything planned should be put in place by then. In furthering this public relations campaign, the paper will be orderly arranged as follows. Essentially, this paper will be arranged in two parts. The first part wil l be presented as follows. To begin with, an executive summary documenting the key aspects of this campaign as well as what it aims to achieve, will be give. From there, a succinct problem statement will be given so as clearly show the problem that this proposal purposes to solve. Once that is done, a significance of the study closely followed by the aims and objectives of the proposal will be briefly detailed. A summative literature review establishing past and present details on the study will then follow. Once the literature review is exhaustively done, the actual public relations campaign will follow detailing the planning, implementation and monitoring as well as the evaluation of the entire plan. A summary of the entire public relations campaign will then be given to recapitulate the plan. In the part two of the paper, major emphasis will be on giving a rationale for the entire public relations plan. A justification for the intricacies of all the major areas of the first part of the paper will be done.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on A Public Relations Campaign Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A conclusion, which summarizes the entire paper, will then be given thereafter. Notably, relevant concepts, ideas, facts and authoritative scholarly opinions on instituting improved healthcare, using public relations campaigns, sourced from relevant books and articles will be used to further the arguments presented herein. Executive Summary Entitlement to free prescriptions by children under the age of 16 has, reportedly, been documented to present a myriad of challenges to adequate provision of healthcare. This is majorly based on the fact that a majority of these children to do not have sufficient information on how these prescribed drugs should be used. As a result, most of them end up misusing the drugs, which presents a vista of endless hazardous possibilities to the children, their parents and the medical personnel who issue these drugs. This, therefore, presents the need for intervention by parents in the determination of whether or not these children should have access to these prescribed drugs. Levying certain charges on prescribed drugs is, arguably, a logical move by governments based on the costly raw materials used to make these drugs or even the needs to pay the medical personnel who are have the key responsibility of keeping us healthy through their expertise and experience. However, there is a group of vulnerable and financially challenged families who are not able to afford good healthcare systems. For such, there is a dire need for provisions to be made by the government so that public funds for medicine can be directed towards them. By solving these two main issues, the parity in viable access to healthcare systems, whereby products and services are available for all, will be duly restored and thus help better our healthcare systems. In addition, using parents in determining whether or not children should have access to prescribed drugs will greatly help in curbing the many negative hazards of these children getting these drugs without any form of control by their parents, or guardians, in the case of orphans.Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Remarkably, the changes proposed here are only focused on the USA citizens alone since there are other provisions that are normally tailored specially for non-American citizens. Plus, in any given research, it is advisable that a pilot study is conducted, and then once it becomes successful, other areas can then be introduced progressively. Therefore, for purposes of this proposal, we will begin by focusing on the USA citizens only and then, once success is witnessed, other people can be relevantly introduced gradually into the proposed program depending on the availability of resources. Problem Statement As glimpsed in the executive summary, there are two major problems. These are as follows: Currently, there is an unregulated access to prescribed drugs by children below the age of 16 years which presents a myriad of problems, as will be explicatively detailed in the literature review. Financially challenged and poor families are finding it difficult to cope with the high costs of some prescribed drugs. Delving deep into the intricacies of these two problems, we find other related problems like the failed role of the media in agenda-setting and routing for change, the lack of sufficient cooperation by stakeholders such as the government and the medical experts in offering viable solutions to these problems, and the failed role of the general public as well as concerned private entities like NGOs in fighting for the direly needed change in our healthcare systems. It is with these problems, among many other that will be duly detailed later, that this public relations campaign proposal is written. Significance of Study As detailed in the above sections, the USA, indeed, has its fair share of challenges and limitations in the effort to fight some inefficacies in the regulation of medical systems. On top of that, there are many other fundamental dynamics of healthcare systems in the USA with regards to the aforementioned problems that have not yet been covered b y existing literature and documentations. Consequently, the prospected research to be conducted will not only provide additional ways of solving the USA’s earlier stated medical challenges but it will also spotlight other crucial scholarly areas that might have been ignored by previous scholars. In other words, this study will offer more insight into ways in which healthcare systems in the USA can be bettered. Other significances of this study are embodied in the aims and objectives which are concisely stated below. Aims and Objectives The major aim and objective of the proposed public relations campaign is to critically analyze the nature of problems being faced with regards to access to prescribed drugs by children below 16 years and the availability of drugs to low-income earning families. Once the nature of these problems have been assessed, the relevant solutions, via adequate public relations campaigns, will be duly proposed. In doing so, the following sub-aims and obje ctives will be dealt with: Doing circumspect analysis of the nature of the aforementioned healthcare problems from the past, venturing into the present and prospecting into the future. Determining the causes and effects of the healthcare malpractices in the USA Proposing ways in which these healthcare challenges and problems can be solved. Channeling the right public relations campaign strategies, techniques and tools to help improve healthcare systems in the USA, and the world at large. Detailing the roles that should be played by various stakeholders (the government, health insurance firms, medical experts, private organizations and the general public) in solving the eminent healthcare problems. Literature Review With regards to the healthcare problems facing the USA, in terms of unregulated access to healthcare by under-aged children (children below 16 years), as well as the lack of fitting policies, funds and resources to take care of the low income earners, several causes, ef fects and proposed solutions have been presented by previous scholars. These are briefly summarized categorically in the literature review that is done below: Causes According to Stone (2010), the major problem that has led to the lack of proper regulations to govern healthcare systems in the USA, is the government failure to stamp its authority. To expound on this, Stone says that ever since the US president Barrack Obama got into power and promised changes in healthcare systems, very little has been done so far. According to Eggen (2011), majority of the USA public feel that President Obama’s government has not done much in bettering today’s healthcare thus today’s eminence of problems that were faced a decade ago. In addition, Eggen asserts that most stakeholders in the health sector tend to concentrate so much on getting profits from sale of prescribed drugs rather than focusing on helping those in real need (like the poor in the society) or even putting str ingent legal regulations that can help curbing any form of drug misuse by under-aged children Levco (2011), however, points his fingers to the never-ending blame game by the involved parties whereby â€Å"attorneys, doctors, hospitals, consumers, and pharmaceutical companies† shift blames on one another rather than focusing on joining hands and finding ways of moving forward. In close relations to the above point, Johnson et al. (2006) says that the major problem being faced, with regards to the regulation of policies in a way that young people do not access prescribed drugs without proper precautions being taken, is that the various stakeholders are not vigilant enough. To exemplify the above point, Johnson et al. (2006) use the abortion debate as an example and document of the way young boys and girls (below the age of 16 years) easily engage in unhealthy practices like safe sex based on the assurance that they can easily get prescribed abortion pills straight from medical centers without any problem. With such practices in place, stakeholders like the government and medical are undoubtedly to blame. Other common causes of problems related to children’s unregulated access to prescribed drugs or the lack of sufficient provisions for families with low income include: access to technologies like the internet where even under-aged children can masquerade themselves as adults and access these drugs easily, a lack of mobilization of relevant parties in the institutionalization of policies that can help poor families to get merited access to these drugs, and the prominence of power-play in the medical world whereby issues such as politics dictate the manner in which people get access to drugs, for example, the more connected you are to powerful politicians, the easier it is for you to access funds or drugs even if you do not really qualify to get them (ScienceDaily, 2011, Eggen, 2011, Marmor, 2000, pp.180-186; Stone, 2010, Johnson et al., 2006). Effec ts Several health complications ranging from headaches to death have resulted from healthcare malpractices regarding children’s unregulated access of prescribed drugs of the unavailability of drugs for the poor people. According to Johnson et al. (2006), easy access to drugs is the major reason behind cases of unhealthy practices like unsafe sex by teenagers, abortions and early teenage preconceptions. This is based on the fact that most of these children either do not know how to use the prescribed drugs properly or they misuse the freedom that they can easily access the prescribed drugs. Additionally, cases of drug poisoning and other health complications—some of which have led to permanent medical ailments of even death—have also been reported based on the unregulated use of drugs by teenagers (Johnson et al., 2006). Other than the common effects like worsening of health complications or even death due to no access of medical care by people poor families; suc h victims face other psychologically related problems like trauma, neglect and no sense of belonging—which can lead to many other adverse effects (Stapleton et al., 2011). It is therefore vital that such effects are mitigated by uprooting the earlier mentioned root-causes. Solutions and Recommendations Preliminarily, it is worth mentioning that some regions in the USA, organizations and individuals have been able to come out strongly in supporting the agenda of instituting better healthcare systems. Some of the positive efforts that have been put in place, so far, are exemplified below. According to Lewis (2011), organizations like the Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg, a non-profit organization providing martial arts therapy and other related health services, has been able to do a lot in helping needy families. Levco (2011) also exemplifies how the public relations efforts of the Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina organization has been able to encourage health stakeholders to own up to their mistakes rather than blaming one another unnecessarily. Finally, FoxNews.com (2011) and Stone (2011) also report of the increased public relations campaigns, especially via electronic media, which have been increasingly used by the USA government to lobby for better healthcare practices to be put in place. Moreover, several public relations initiatives have been recommended to help better the current healthcare systems. A good example here is the recommendation of reduction of costs and restructuring of health policies by the White House (in collaboration with other related agencies) such that they are tailored in a better way that can equitably serve the needs of everyone in the society (Stone, 2011). Other recommendations that have been issued include: the development of more stringent policies to regulate access to drugs by under-aged children, more policies being put in place to help the poor people in shouldering their heavy medical needs; increased collaboration by the involved parties, among many others. However, going by the statistics regarding the continued prevalence of healthcare problems in the USA, as discussed earlier, it is extremely necessary that more is done by the involved parties. Principally, it is with this in mind that the public relations campaign below is proposed. The Public Relations Campaign Plan In essence, there are several dynamics of the campaign plan that should be duly documented herein. However, not all of them can be exhaustively represented in this proposal. Therefore, in the section below, only the major areas will be discussed, with other areas only being partially detailed and explicated—using the subtopics below. Planning According to Campbell et al. (2000, pp.1-4), planning is the most fundamental part of any given research; without a proper plan, then all the other facets are as good as not attempted. It is for this reason that a SMART (specific measurable, achievable, realistic and timely) plan is purposed for this public relations campaign. Below is a summary of this plan. Essentially, this proposed public relations campaign will follow the standard procedure of most researches where we will begin by problem definition, research into the problem and finding viable ways of instituting the relevant changes (using relevant public relations tools) and then the actual implementation of the solutions from the program. This will then be followed by a clear evaluation of the implementations. A clear brake-down of the exact procedure and timeline that will be followed here will be given later in form of a table Audience As earlier mentioned, the implementations of the public relations campaign will only be centralized on the USA citizens. Once notable progress is made, other audiences will be gradually introduced into the program depending on the availability of funds and resources. Primarily, the targeted audience here is divided into two categories: persons below the age of 16 yea rs and their parents (for purposes of changing trends on unregulated access to prescribed drugs) and poor families that cannot access good health services and products based on their poor finances. Secondarily, messages will be tailored for stakeholders like the government, hospitals, relevant private and public people and organizations, over-the-counter prescribed drug stores, and law-making institutions (especially those dealing directly with health laws), among others. Location Since implementing the whole of the program in the whole of the USA is virtually impossible, the public relations campaigns will be piloted in Illinois, Chicago. This region was specifically selected based on my vast knowledge of the area and the eminence of poor health regulations in the area. Other justifications will be given in part two. Public relations Campaign Tools In today’s world, the use of technologies in conducting public relations campaigns is greatly pronounced and preferred by most a udiences. It is for this reason that online public relations tools will be used. More specifically, social media campaigns (through social forums like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) will be conducted with messages specifically tailored to meet our aims and objectives. Other than the use of social forums, public relations messages will also be placed in selective newspapers and magazines in form of banners and short captivating messages. Such messages are essentially targeting people who rely more on print media for their media messages. In addition, messages will also be spread through popular radio and televisions networks in the selected region. Finally, the use of road shows and word of mouth public relations campaigns, especially towards the final months of the planned campaign, will be relevantly used. By combining all these tools, a good blend of information spread is bound to happen to the targeted audiences. Costs Much of what is entailed in the budget to be used in achievi ng the objectives of this proposal are yet to be representatively disclosed by the finance experts to the relevant parties. Nonetheless, a cumulative rough estimate of $20 million is humbly required from donors so as to support the funds that have so far been, reportedly, accumulated from various quarters. The highly confidential nature of the budget is, essentially, the reason why it will only be sent to the relevant leadership in the company, as well as to those people who have affirmed their interest in participating in soliciting funds for this project. A highly detailed and informative budget will be sent or hand-delivered by our financial personnel to such people. However, a clearly accountable documentation of all the collected and used funds will be given publicly once the pilot project is in motion. Timeline As mentioned earlier, this project is to take place in six months. All the plans detailed above as well as the rest that will be detailed below will be strictly and adh erently done within this duration. Implementation If all goes as planned, as we strongly hope, then the implementation of the program will be done immediately the essentialities of the campaign are in place, six months from now. As a key note, all the relevantly involved parties should ensure that they play accordingly for the smooth success of this campaign. Monitoring and Evaluation Making a follow-up on a project, through proper monitoring, and evaluation is an irreplaceably important part of a project. It is only by doing so that we can be able to assess whether or not a project met its desired objectives. For purposes of this project, a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis will be combined with a PESTEL (political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal) to monitor and evaluate the success or failure of the project. The committee that planned this public relations campaign, chaired by me and overseen by the supervisor of this propos al, will be in-charge of doing all the monitoring and evaluation. Then, depending on the success or failure of the project, relevant measures will be taken. Summary of the P.R Campaign Plan The table given in the below summarizes the entire project detailing the key areas and the timeline of each event. Month Public relations campaign Event January Definition of problems, market analysis and launching of campaigns through the placement of adverts in online sites. February Placement of advertisements for the health messages in print media (both online and in the usual hard-copy) March Assessment of progress made by the advertisement majorly media based on the Four P’s (product, promotion, place and price). Once the assessments have been made, viable recommendations are made for further implementation. At this stage, there will also be introduction of more messages through public relations platforms like radio, TV, billboards, brochures and word of mouth. April †“ May Re-launching of the ads (taking into account the recommendations) June Overall assessment of the performance by the public relations campaigns within the six months, making of recommendations and release into the actual market. Rationale for the P. R. Campaign In rationalizing the need and necessity for the public relations campaign as well as the strategies chosen, the justifications will be given using the main subtopics that were used in section one, as detailed below. Rationale for Significance of the Study In conducting any given research, it is extremely important that a particular scholarly purpose is achieved. In other words, there should be some important significance of doing any research. The significance of this study is therefore highly justified based on the fact that the purposed research to be conducted will not only provide additional methods of solving the USA’s earlier stated medical challenges but it will also spotlight other crucial scholarly areas that might have been ignored by previous scholars. In effect, this offers scholarly continuity by linking the past, the present and the future. On top of that, a scholarly platform, having relevant information, will be laid thus making it easy for future studies to be conducted on the same or related issues addressed herein. Rationale for Aims and Objectives Aims and objectives simply delineate the scope that any given research is to cover. In general terms, scope refers to the breadth of the project, what it entails and crucially, what is expected of it in terms of achieving its purposed objectives. Baars (2006) states that the vastness in the scope of a project creates the threat of leading to divided attention on various project issues. In effect, this fundamentally corrodes the value of objectivity in the program. For this reason, Baars recommends that the aims and objectives of project should be definitely focused towards particular areas of study. It is based on the above advice that this project centrally focuses on analyzing the intrinsic nature of problems being faced with regards to access to prescribed drugs by children below 16 years and the availability of drugs to low-income earning families. In doing so, the sub-aims and objectives of simply establishing causes, effects and solutions as well as recommendations to the problem, in hand, are given. The aims and objectives are therefore duly justified. Rationale for Literature Review In essence, several studies have been conducted by various scholars on the general nature of healthcare in the USA. However, very few studies have been reportedly conducted on the plight of poor families getting access to the medical care they need as well as the unregulated nature of children’s access to prescribed drugs. In most instances, complains can be heard on the streets, and at best, through unverifiable surveys on the society. As a result, the cries and murmurs of such people end up not reach ing the targeted parties who are mandated with the responsibility of facilitating change and positive progress in the healthcare sector. Admittedly, this lack of adequate literature on the proposed study and planned campaigns in this paper made it extremely difficult to establish a pinpointed connection between the previous studies and the current study. In fact, it is based on this reason that most examples tended to be from a generalized perspective rather than the needed specific approach. Nevertheless, substantial arguments and reports were availed in the best way possible to establish the needed connection between the literatures. Rationale for Planning of the Campaign The planning of the public relations campaign was a very key area and that is the reason why several issues and factors were keyed in. A justification of these plans is detailed below, following the respective order that they were given in part one. In justifying the audience, it is elemental to state that poor c hoice of an audience makes it difficult for research to be done effectively. It is on this basis that the chosen the primary and secondary audience was done in a careful and precariously selective manner. In addition, clearly identifying the audience makes it very easy for messages to be tailored rightfully. For example, having selected children below 16 years as being part of the primary audience, it was relatively easy to chose social networks as one of the main tools of tailoring messages to them. This is based on the popularity of social networks in spreading messages to the youth (Donovan Henley, 2010, pp.10-20). The secondarily chosen were, on the other hand, justifiably necessary based on the multifaceted nature of the problems in this proposal With regards to the aspect of location, it is undoubtedly difficult to conduct a research of this nature in a huge area. This is based on the fact that choosing a wide location will make it difficult to do the research and implement t he prospected campaigns based on the limitation in terms of manpower, funds and resources. On top of that, sampling information on a wide area will take a lot time, yet we only have six months to plan, implement and evaluate the entire project. Plus, if the proposed campaigns in Illinois are successful, successful; chances of adoption of the idea will be high based on the popularity of Illinois, Chicago. Selection of Illinois, Chicago as our pilot area, was therefore duly deserved and appropriate, to say the least. In the determination of costs, confidentiality, accountability and precision are key elements that should be duly balanced. It was, therefore, extremely necessary that a professional balance is ensued in our campaign plans. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how one chooses to look at it, a detailed brake-down of the required finances was not given for purposes of confidentiality. In most cases, detailing such financial plans may seem as a good idea. However, the probability of corruption or theft cases emerge once such details are given to the public is normally high since malicious people thrive on such knowledge. It is for this reason that the safe option of not disclosing the exact details of the financials, until actual implementation, was chosen. On the aspect of time, the only justification worth being stated here is that the time given for the entire campaigns is six months. It thus follows that everything has been planned to adherently fit in this timeline. As a matter of fact, contingencies such as delays in some aspects of the project were factored appropriately. Consequently, we expect that everything will go on as planned even if some anticipated delays occur. Finally, the following are the justifications for the public relations campaign tools chosen for the prospected plan. Essentially, various consumers have varied preferences of mass media (Rodriguez, 2009, pp.2-4). It is on the basis of the above fact that the proposed camp aign inculcates the use of various public relations (mass media) tools. Plus, by using these various tools, we get an assurance that the targeted audiences will have access to our messages. Finally, various mass media tools have their unique strengths and weaknesses so by blending them, the tools intermittently augment the efficacy of the others by reinforcing one another. Rationale for Implementation of the Campaign By far and large, the implementation stage is normally important just like the planning stage. Without proper structures of implementation being in place, chances of the project become inherently high. It is for this reason that an empathic call was made to all the relevantly involved parties to ardently play their part in ensuring the success of purposed campaign. It is only through genuine cooperation by all the involved parties that the plan can bear positive fruition. Rationale for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Campaign Monitoring and evaluation are two project s tages that are interdependent on one another and that is the reason they are normally done concurrently. In monitoring and evaluation of a project, an assessment of relevance, understanding, performance, efficiency, coverage, sustainability and impact of the project is done. By doing all these, we are able to discover deficiencies in a project and fix them or alternatively better a good project. The choice of the SWOT and PESTEL tools was done in order to analyze various aspects of the project. Notably, the table given in the summary shows that there is an evaluation done in the middle of the project before the final one done at the end of the project. The reason for doing a monitor and evaluation in the middle of the project is to help fix any small problems that might be limiting full efficacy of the project. In addition, this evaluation helps in preventing adverse losses, especially in high-profile projects, while making it easy to logically predict the final outcome. On the othe r hand, doing a final monitoring and evaluation of the project helps us to know whether or not to implement the campaign in actual market, changes that should be made or even forecast on what the future of the project holds for us. Conclusion Just like any project, our proposed campaign may result in success or failure. In fact, we anticipate some challenges and limitations (like the unavailability of enough books and articles with regards to what should be done on the proposed campaign). However, there are apt precautions currently in place to help avert them. For example, during the definition of the problem and market analysis; in-depth primary research will be conducted using interviews and questionnaires so as to gather more information on our target audiences. Such information will not only supplement the secondary data from books and internet sources but it will also offer us more insights into better ways of tailoring our messages and implementing our strategies. This, there fore, acts as an assurance that the prospected will run smoothly and be completed within the above-mentioned schedule. Remarkably, a few minor adjustments may be made on aspects like time depending on the assessment and approval of this proposed campaign by the relevant authorities. Nonetheless, most of the points and projections stipulated here will remain constant. As stated earlier, this public relations campaign requires everyone involved to ardently play his/her part. Only by doing this that, we can have some assurance that our plans will be foolproof of the usual project hiccups and the never ending unforeseen logistical challenges. So far, a surmountable amount of funds and resources towards the campaign have already been pledged or given by some people. If more help can be harnessed, the success of this crucial campaign, which helps at bettering our healthcare systems, will be greatly improved. It is for this reason that we humbly ask for support in any possible ways, whethe r through money, moral support or even man-power. In finality, it is inherent to state that professional guidance in a high-profile campaign of this nature is extremely important. In this proposal, for example, I would have not been able to do much had it not been for the priceless guidance from my supervisor. It is therefore vital that periodic guidance for professionals is sought at each stage of the project. This will immensely help in avoiding unnecessary mistakes which limit objectivity, accuracy and precision. List of References Baars, W., 2006. Project Management Handbook (Version 1.1 – July 2006). Web. Available at: http://www.projectmanagement-training.net/book/index.html. Campbell, P., Rys, A., Stepien, W., 2000. Public relations in health sector reform: the experience from Cracow, Poland. Web. Available at: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ihsg/publications/pdf/No-78.PDF. Donovan, R., Henley, N., 2010. Principles and practice of social marketing: an international persp ective. New York: Cambridge University Press. Eggen, D., 2011. Debt-limit deal triggers lobbying campaign from health-care and defense industries. Web. Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/debt-limit-deal-triggers-lobbying-campaign-from-health-care-and-defense-industries/2011/08/03/gIQAIWdjsI_story.html. Finkler, S. A., 2007. Budgeting concepts for nursing managers and executives. Edinburgh: Elsevier Saunders. FoxNews.com., Documents detail PR Campaign to promote health care overhaul. Web. Available at: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/19/documents-detail-pr-campaign-to-promote-health-care-overhaul/. Gordon, R., 2011. Survey finds hiring boom in public places. Online]. Available at: http://www.prweekus.com/survey-finds-hiring-boom-in-public-relations/article/218579/. Government Printing Office., 1998. Congressional record: proceedings and debates of the 105th Congress second session. Washington: United States Government Printing Office. Johnson, K., Posner, S. F., Biermann, J., Cordero, J. F., 2006. Recommendations to improve preconception health and healthcare—United States. Online]. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5506a1.htm. Levco, J., 2011. PR campaigns pushes back on anger over health care costs. Web. Available at: http://www.healthcarecommunication.com/Main/Articles/PR_campaign_pushes_back_on_anger_over_health_care_7993.aspx. Lewis, T., 2011. App kick-starts support for kids fighting cancer. Web. Available at: http://www.prweekus.com/app-kick-starts-support-for-kids-fighting-cancer/article/215694/. Marmor, T., 2000. The politics of medicare. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. Rodriguez, S., 2009. Economic climate shifts consumers online. Web. Available at: https://mr.pricegrabber.com/Economic_Climate_Shifts_Consumers_Online_March_2009_CBR.pdf. ScienceDaily., 2011. Access to healthcare insurance top indicator for better outcomes among undocumented children. Web. Available at: http://www.sciencedaily .com/releases/2011/09/110906164314.htm. Stapleton, S., Evans, J., Gold, J., Marcy, J., Villegas, A., Weaver, C., 2011. Daily health report. Web. Available at: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/daily-report.aspx. Stone, A., 2010. White house mounts PR Blitz for healthcare reform. Web. Available at: http://www.aolnews.com/2010/06/07/white-house-mounts-pr-blitz-for-health-care-reform/. This report on A Public Relations Campaign Plan was written and submitted by user RoxanneSimpson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Martha Mccaskey Case Study Essays

Martha Mccaskey Case Study Essays Martha Mccaskey Case Study Paper Martha Mccaskey Case Study Paper Veronica Koskovich-Underwood MgtOp 587 Martha McCaskey Case Study Ethical Issues At issue in the Martha McCaskey case is a question of proprietary information. More specifically, McCaskey is faced with the question of what constitutes proprietary information and what is safe to give to the client without breaching any trade secrets. According to DeGeorge, proprietary information, or trade secrets, are a right of each corporation that they can legally and morally protect and refuse to divulge to the public. The types of information that Seleris client is asking for about their target company are held tightly by the target to ensure their market share. If the information is given to competitors, they will lose their advantage. However, if specific information as to the new chip is not released but instead is based on industry standards and already publicly-held information, the trade secrets would still be upheld, as there is no way to know for sure that the target is using exactly what has been found. Another issue that McCaskey faces is the methods used to obtain the information to be given to the client. As mentioned above, if it comes directly from the target, it would be releasing trade secrets and infringing on the targets right to hold those. In this case, McCaskey has been asked to not contact the target in order to keep them from knowing that the client is looking into the new chip. In order to get the specific information that they are after, McCaskey will have to use alternative means such as contacting other competitors in the industry, vendors of the target, and possibly ex-employees of the target. Hackert and Malone are pushing for McCaskey to use Phil Devon after learning that he worked for the target in the past. Devon seems open to supplying McCaskey with any information that she needs, but she may be breaching the targets right to trade secrets by doing so. If he has stayed in the loop with the target and has direct knowledge of the new chip and the procedures being used there, she would ultimately be passing on information that the client has no right to. However, there is a chance that he has no direct knowledge of the new chip nd would only be giving her information that he has obtained in helping other clients out. Even that could be breaching areas of confidentiality though, as she would not know if the other companies held that information closely so the possibility of breaching other trade secrets is unknown. Also at issue is management encouraging what could be seen as unethical methods to complete the projects. As discussed in the Don Taylor case, management has a duty to operate the company as ethically as possible. By encouraging these unethical activities to McCaskey, Malone and Hackert are saying that they are supportive of using unethical methods in order to further IAD and Seleris, as well as their clients. The case material discussed that IAD did not have any written policies in place in regards to solicitation and acceptable methods to complete contracts. Richardson would occasionally hold lunch meetings in which he would state that no one should use unethical behaviors, but remained vague in just what that meant. DeGeorge notes that a business has the duty to give clear policies to its employees in order for them to complete their jobs accurately and as desired. Employees also cannot be required to act unethically on the job. Malone and Hackert are impeding McCaskeys responsibility to complete her job ethically by encouraging her to use Devon no matter what the cost. Another issue that should be noted is the personal issue that McCaskey has in deciding between staying silent on the matter and completing her job as requested, or in voicing her concerns. In the â€Å"Conflict on a Trading Floor† case and the Don Taylor case, it was noted that it is our duty to report any unethical proceedings in the work place. However, DeGeorge notes that employees do not have an obligation to create serious risk to themselves without some compensation to be gained. In McCaskeys case, she knows of no immediate benefit to her calling out the policies that are being implemented by the old guard. In fact, she has been all but guaranteed a promotion, raise, and easier job duties if she successfully completes the project. It does not appear that those in the new guard are using the same methods and there has been a significant amount of turnover in the past couple of years at IAD. There is a chance that future replacements will not be willing to use the same methods and the problem will eradicate itself. But by remaining silent, she becomes part of the problem and may have to violate her own moral beliefs. On the other hand, if McCaskey brings attention to what she considers an unethical procedure, she could be at risk with her job. She could be seen as a troublemaker and put back on team projects that are not to her liking. She would almost certainly be pulled from this project which would result in no promotion, further hurting her own well-being. A fourth issue that may not deal directly with McCaskey would be whether it is appropriate for Phil Devon to be releasing the information that he may have on the target company that he used to work for, or from other companies that he has assisted on new projects with since leaving the target. As an employee of the target, he would be directly breaching the right of the target to have trade secrets. However, as he no longer works there, Devon is not obliged to consider the interests of the target any longer. Unless a noncompete agreement was signed when he left, he is technically not doing anything wrong by divulging information that he may have on the company. This same logic would apply to any of the other companies that Devon has consulted with recently. Case Analysis The three primary alternatives that are to be considered are: 1) hiring Phil Devon and Martha McCaskey working with him directly; 2) hiring Phil Devon and having another associate work with him while Martha McCaskey remains project leader; and 3) Martha McCaskey stepping down from the project and voicing her concerns about the methods used within IAD. The primary stakeholders that have been identified are: 1) McCaskey; Tom Malone and Bud Hackert; Seleris; Target company; Client; and Phil Devon; 2) McCaskey; Malone and Hackert; Seleris; Target company; Kauffman (or the employee chosen to work with Devon; and Phil Devon; 3) McCaskey; Malone and Hackert; IAD; Target company; and Client. From a utilitarian perspective, option one woud result in the greatest net welfare for the stakeholders identified. While it goes against what McCaskey believes in and hurts the target company the most, all other layers considered receive the greatest benefit out of this option. Under the utilitarian method, more of the stakeholders receive benefits than costs with option one. Malone, Hackert, Seleris, and the client achieve the end result that they are ultimately wanting from the situation. Malone and Hackert retain a major client for Seleris and IAD remains in good standing with corporate. Seleris sees growth as a company and retains a large portion of their current business. The client receives the information they are seeking and is able to better compete with the competition. However, all of these stakeholders are setting precedence in the methods that are used to obtain the information and completing projects. Phil Devon receives a large financial consideration for his assistance on the project, but risks possible lawsuits or future retribution from the client for releasing sensitive information on them. The target company sees the greatest cost by having confidential information leaked to a competitor and no longer having the niche in the industry that they would have otherwise. McCaskey sees the greatest mixture of benefits and costs, but ultimately sees more negatives than positives. She successfully completes the project and receives the promotion and raise, follows her superiors wishes, and retains a major client for IAD and Seleris. However, she does not follow her own moral judgement and is directly responsible for the way the project is completed. She also is setting a precedence of methods that she is willing to use and for methods that will be acceptable under her as manager. Under the second option, assuming that the project is successfully completed to the clients liking and McCaskey receives her promotion, many of the same costs and benefits come into play. The additional player in this scenario, Kauffman, would most likely receive praise and possibly compensation for his role in the completion of the project, but would be being used to do the unethical activities that no one else is willing to. McCaskey does have the added benefit of not directly doing the unethical research, but she is causing Kauffman to act unethically by having him work directly with Devon. With the third option, assuming that the project is not successfully completed without McCaskey and she does not receive her promotion, more costs occur for the stakeholders identified. McCaskey would be upholding her moral values, but she would not receive the promotion and would have to continue doing the tedious fieldwork that she has been doing. This option could result in being given only problem projects that no one else wants in the future, she could be labeled a troublemaker, and she would lose her good standing with upper management. A slight possibility would exist that her actions would bring about positive changes in the division and/or corporation, if management takes note of her concerns and decides to implement policies that would prevent these happenings from occurring again. Malone and Hackert would lose McCaskey as a good candidate for group leader, as well as a major client and future additional projects. IAD not only would lose a major client and future business from them, but would also most likely come under scrutiny of corporate. The client loses the ability to compete head on with the target company by not receiving the information they requested. They would also lose a consulting firm for future projects if they decide Seleris is no longer fulfilling their duties as their consultants. The target company would see the largest benefit from this option, as their trade secrets would not be leaked and they would retain their market niche with the new chip. From a rights and duties perspective, even though a greater number of rights and duties are upheld with options one and two, option three is preferred in that it upholds the more important rights and duties of McCaskey and the target company. When adding weight for importance to the rights of performing your job ethically and retaining trade secrets, the greatest good comes from option three where both of these rights are upheld. An analysis of rights and duties shows a greater number of rights and duties upheld than not with option one. By hiring Phil Devon and completing the project successfully, all stakeholders except for Devon and the target are fulfilling their duty to maximize profits and act in the best interest of their immediate stakeholders. For example, McCaskey is acting in the best interest of IAD by retaining a client and bringing in future profits from this client. The client is acting in the best interest of their own shareholders by finding a way to compete directly with the target and thereby maximizing profits. McCaskey is also upholding her duty to obey her supervisors and to act in her own best interest by ensuring she receives the promotion and raise. However, she is defying her duty to not harm others by completing research that she knows will directly harm the target and their business interests. She is also denying herself the right to perform her job ethically and not upholding the norms of her profession. Malone and Hackert see their authority rights upheld, but dont uphold McCaskeys right and duty to perform her job ethically. The target companys right to keep trade secrets is being denied. Devon is acting in his own best interest, as well as his familys, but he is not conducting business ethically and is denying the target the right to have trade secrets. With option two, most of the rights and duties remain the same. Regardless of whether McCaskey performs the research herself or just oversees it, she is not changing the overall picture. She has actually brought someone else into an ethical dilemma by choosing not to address it head on. Now Kauffman is not upholding the duty to perform his job ethically, nor does he uphold the norms of his profession. Option three results in more rights and duties being denied to the majority of the stakeholders. McCaskey sees more of her rights and duties upheld than the other options, as she is using her right to voice ethical concerns in the workplace and upholding her duty not to harm others and to uphold the standards of her profession. The target company is also seeing more rights upheld, as they retain their right to hold trade secrets and to fair competition in the marketplace. Malone, Hackert, IAD, and the client, however, see more rights and duties denied. All fail at their duty to maximize profits for the division and company, while Malone and Hackert lose their right to authority. But all are now upholding the individual rights and duties held by McCaskey and the target. From a justice perspective, option three upholds fairness for the target company by not releasing confidential information, for McCaskey by not requiring her to do something that could be considered ethically wrong, and for all others by not allowing them to profit from unethical behaviors. In all three options, distributive justice is more of a concern than any other kind. By completing the project and obtaining the data from Devon, regardless of whether done by McCaskey or by Kauffman, all stakeholders except for the target receive benefits from unethical proceedings that are not right. McCaskey receives a promotion and higher pay, IAD and Seleris receive full payment on the contract and even receive additional contracts because of the successful completion, Devon receives a large payment for releasing information that is confidential, and the client will most likely receive a greater market share of the new chip than they would have otherwise. The target, however, loses market share from the divulgence of this information. However, in option three, all parties receive the compensation that they deserve from the situation. The target retains its market share while the others lose out on money from their unethical dealings. While option one or two could be argued from a utilitarian perspective, the added weight of importance to the rights and duties method, as well as the clear indication by the justice perspective, option three supports more of the prominent concerns in this case. I therefore propose option three as the best option for McCaskey to move forward with. Broad Implications of the Case One of the more prominent themes to this case is the issue of proprietary information and means used to obtain it from competitors. According to DeGeorge, businesses have the right, both legally and morally, to have trade secrets to help protect specific facts about their products or processes. However, it is not discussed who outside the immediate company employees have any duty to protect those secrets. As technology moves further and further ahead, the implications of trade secrets being leaked becomes greater. Without the trade secrets, there is no way to protect yourself from a competitor moving in on your niche in the market that you may otherwise have had they not obtained the secrets. But on the other side is the right to a competitive marketplace and the duty to maximize profits for the competitor. Consulting firms such as Seleris in the case are becoming a more common option to obtain trade secrets. But employees of these firms eed to take into consideration the ethical connotations to what they are doing by assisting in the gathering of this information. While they have no immediate duty to the competitors to help protect the information, from an ethical perspective the methods that they use to obtain it could be negative. Trade secrets are at a greater risk as the present trend in the workplace continues of employees moving around from job to job during their careers. No l onger are employees with the mindset that they should stay with the same firm throughout their career to ensure a better retirement package. If an employee is not guaranteed to stay with a firm, what information should they actually have access to? In most cases, this is now limited to only what they need to know to complete their individual job. Also of note is what constitutes proprietary information. DeGeorge defines it as any trade secrets that a company can legally and morally protect from others. But in order to legally defend data in the current day, you would need a patent or trademark, which often times can’t be obtained until the item has a prototype developed. This makes it more difficult to protect new projects from being copied by competitors. Another theme that is touched on in the case and brought out in the issue of proprietary information is employee loyalty and duties to their current employers. DeGeorge explains that while companies would like to have both loyalty to the firm during employment, it cannot be demanded. Corporations want employees to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities and to do what needs to be done to ensure the success of the company. However, in the present day workforce, it is more common to hear employees talking about what the company can do for them. It is not uncommon to switch jobs several times during your career, nor to apply the knowledge that youve gained from a past job on a current one. DeGeorge states that while workers have rights on the job, they also have duty to perform the job for which they are hired. That being said, the employer cannot require an employee to do something that is illegal or unethical. Usually businesses have policies in place that help define what workers rights and responsibilities are. Employees need to take the time to review this information and ask questions about the policies prior to being hired on to ensure that they are comfortable with what is being asked of them. However, policies will not address every instance that could possibly occur during an employment. Employees need to know their basic rights and processes available to them so that they can address any conce rns as they arise. While employed by a particular organization, the employee has a responsibility to not sabotage the activities of the company. However, once employment ends, that responsibility is gone. But is there still a responsibility to protect trade secrets and sensitive information that you may have had access to once in a new position? A trend that is starting in the current workforce is to impose noncompete agreements with employees who are leaving and who had access to sensitive information to help curb this issue. Overall, the protection of proprietary information seems to have a direct relation to the loyalty and obedience that employees show a firm. Ultimately, it is the individual employee who needs to make the conscience decision to help protect the information. While competitors may be able to gain some insight on what is going on behind closed doors through competitors and basic industry trends of the time, without firsthand knowledge of what a specific company is pursuing, it is more difficult to know for sure if your recreation of their item will be better than what they have done and win you the market on the item.

Discussions wk2 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussions wk2 - Term Paper Example After marriage breakups most of the women has to take custody of the children leading to extreme financial burden. Vocational training might be provided to those living below the poverty line, especially the women to reduce outside dependency. At this point of time many US national below poverty line are dependent on the government; such mind set needs to be changed, certain awareness campaigns might be done to resolve such issues. Marriage break down is also a real course of action. Government may start conducting counseling sessions or other awareness campaigns to control the rising rate of marriage of break ups. After analyzing certain sources it is to believed that the rich are not be blamed present state of Economy in the US. Rather a certain factions. According to experts certain factions or circles running the key financial institution are the real course of concern. Such circles have driven the people of US of the state of economic unrest. According experts this has resemblance with other troubled economies. Such instances were visible even during the modern industrializations. Each and every American aspires to be that billionaire: they said. They want to live the American dream. However off late have some people have really taken some rash decisions. They have brought homes that they couldn’t afford. Due to such actions people who did the all the right things and played by the rules have suffered. So it’s not the reach it’s the bad call made by certain average Americans are to be blamed. Before moving to the specific topic let us just understand what a living wage is. It is a minimum income necessary for an employee to meet the very basic needs. It is the morale right of every employee and the duty of every organization to pay them. (Stabile. D, 2009, p.53). Reports once suggested that 46% of the children of Walmart workers’ are uninsured or on medicated. Although the CEO begs to differ on this but actions suggest

Reading notes Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading notes - Article Example For instance, doctors and lawyers do have diversified codes that suit their fields, but a professor from a business school tends to embrace the claim by Milton Friedman that maximization of profits is the major responsibility or intention of any business. The third outcome of learning is the revelation that there are clear-cut differences between medicine and practicing management. They argue that there is no professional body that is self-regulating and has the chance to monopolize anyone’s entry into the profession. The verbatim phrase from the book is as below stated; More so, it has revealed that it is not necessary for leaders or individuals to have an MBA to be successful leaders in the society. A good example is Bill Gates who has several doodles without any formal training in the same field or related field. The sentence from the book in verbatim is: â€Å"The value of the MBA is that one has successfully completed the rigorous and formal process of learning the critical and analytical thinking required of

Universal Accounting Approach &Cross Border Investment Essay

Universal Accounting Approach &Cross Border Investment - Essay Example Without these accounting standards each and every business entity would have to develop their own accounting standards that would make the comparison of financial information of different business enterprises difficult. The interests of the financial activities of the individual and institutional investors have become global recognizable and there has been active involvement of various organizational bodies for the development of a widely accepted accounting framework beneficial to the investors. The existence of an efficient and liquid capital market can only be possible, if the investors are provided with transparent, relevant and reliable information. Introduction: Universal Accounting Approach &Cross Border Investment The corporate sector is facing certain complexities in terms of corporate governance and financial reporting and has also affected the US Capital markets. The current financial community is devoid of strong framework, which can integrate the systems altogether and d evelop a global financial reporting language. The silver lining in the current complexities would be the sudden and tremendous progress towards the achievement of a global financial reporting language. The development of a global financial reporting language would be the establishment of a strong financial framework, which will comply with the universal accounting standards and regulations. ... e International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) and International Accounting Standard Committee Board (IASC) has contributed significantly to the outcome of the organizations. These boards are endowed with activities and tasks for the development of accounting standards, which comply with the current accounting environment (Beck, Kunt and Levine, 2002). The study will lay emphasis on the accounting standards developed by leading organizations, associations and their contribution towards the betterment of the economy. The author of the study will also highlight the accounting techniques, significantly for the cross border and regional investments. Finally, the study will conclude with the summary of the existing environment market with the application of the accounting standards and tools. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) The IASB and FASB have been working in unification since the year 2002 and the two boards have co nverged their required tactics for the development of several accounting and investment projects. It is one of the non-profit organizations, whose primary purpose is to formulate certain accounting principles within the US region for the interest of the common people. It was established in the year 1973. The boards helped in establishing the accounting standards and regulations for educating the issuers, auditors, government and various other users. Some of the main objectives of the board would be to improve the utility of the financial reporting for the guidance of varied users, develop standards for the current business organizations, identify reports in the accounting process and promote international convergence of accounting standards in compliance with the quality of financial

Water Rationing in Malaysia

Water Rationing in Malaysia Definition of Water Rationing Water is the most essential single element required in order for people to accomplish the universal human right to a standard of living adequate for the health as well as well-being of himself and his family. Lacking of access to fresh water, health and well-being are severely jeopardized. This is because people cannot live without basic water supplies. Water is the important need so that people continue to survive. Without water, people could only survive for a few months before they had some serious health problems or even death. Fresh water protection is a huge responsibility that involves in the individual, industrial and even the government. Every single person has a vital role in trying to protect the continuous supply of fresh water. One of the main concerns regarding water is that of there will be enough water for the request within the next 25 to 50 years later. Current rising problem today is the lack of drinking water. Once every twenty years, the consumption of water is double. The supply of fresh water is not renewing at the same speed anymore. The lack of drinking water has caused a much larger problem. The problem is that the water is polluted. Currently, about half of the hospital beds in the world are filled with patients with water borne diseases. In the Malay Mail newspaper, it shows that â€Å"The water supply from the dams is not enough to supply water to more than 7 million users in the Klang Valley.† In the Klang Valley together with Wilayah Persekutuan and Selangor states, the current water rationing program initiated in last February 2014. It consists of alternating two days with water then two days with dry taps in the areas allocated by the government. Water rationing is not always regarding water shortage. Sometimes it is related to the demand is greater than the supply. Supply may actually be sufficient in certain place but in some places with irresponsible user, the water is water at an uncontrolled level which led to nowhere to find fresh water. Thus, the government will create a solution for this problem such as water rationing to meet the requirements of every citizen. During Malaysia water crisis in 1998, 4.2 million people had to survive on 2553 million litres of water per day. This resulted in a shortage of 105 million litres per day. For year 2014, 7.1 million people need about 4900 million litres per day but with only 4367 million litres per day is available. Figure 1 shows the comparison of water needed between year 1998 and year 2014. In year 1998, there are 1.8 million people in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur that were affected by a six month long water rationing exercise which is from March to September as the result of El Nino phenomenon. The dry weather and lesser rainfall weather during year 1998 led to almost critical water levels in four dams which is Batu, Klang Gates, Langat and Semenyih. El Nino is actually a band of warm ocean water temperature that occasionally develops off the Pacific coast of South America. The Causes and Effects of Water Rationing Water shortage that resulted in water rationing does not happen in a single day. There are many causes of water shortages. Some of the examples are population growth, overuse of water by industries, pollution, global warming, drastic weather changes and others more. One of the causes that result in water rationing is the growing water shortage in the growing demand resulting from the population increase. The increase of demand of fresh water is directly proportional with the increasing population. The increase in demand arises out of a few factors which include the direct consumption demands of the increasing population and the demand from development and food production to give food to the increasing population. But then, the fresh water is not increasing but decreasing rapidly due to the over usage. Thus this will lead to the demand is more than the supply in which related to water shortage. Climate change has affected the whole water cycle, decreasing water resources and resulted in water shortage. Global warming too has speeded up the hydrological cycle and amplified evaporation will make drought conditions more rampant. One of the example of climate change is droughts occur more occasionally in some certain area while will be hit by flash floods which could destroy dams and reservoirs. Land use changes have a variation of influences on water resources. Whilst decrease of vegetation cover may result in better runoff, it decreases groundwater infiltration as well as the storage capability of dams and lakes through siltation. The significant draining of wetlands or extensive deforestation may change the microclimate of a region. This is a consequence of people cutting trees for numerous reasons including illegally felling of trees for sale. Some of the cause of water shortage is mismanagement by government officials. The government official lacked of law enforcement to stop water from being wasted. Water shortage is the whole nation as well as global problem which are happening at an alarming rate. It can be effective to increase consciousness among all people regarding age towards the seriousness of water shortage and the benefit of saving water. This is very important as it could make people realize the importance of water and not waste them uncontrollably. The government should implement laws to solve the problem like having hefty fines to those who waste water and not just a tab on the wrist. Due to rapid industrialization and a lack of wastewater treatment system, a large number of surface and ground water is contaminated and thus not safely available for human use. Water contamination can result from a numerous causes which include agricultural return flows, industry, and domestic uses. Both surface and groundwater are regularly affected. Destruction of the riverine environment decreases the ordinary ability of a river to deal with with pollution. The largest water using sector is agriculture. This is a common reality worldwide. As population increases, ever greater pressure is placed on agriculture to produce food. This in turn results in increased water demand. Water scarcity and food security are therefore directly related. In addition, using additional water than is returned in rain, people are polluting the water that they have. For example, most of the pesticides as well as fertilizers used in agriculture, sewer overflows and oil and grease from road will run off into water system. The other source of excess nutrients such as lawn fertilizers, pet and farm animal waste, decaying plant material. Industrial plants waste water treatment plants can also contribute the level of toxic substance enter the river and lake which will resulted in polluted water. Politicians and decision-makers are the people who have highest influence on the distribution of improve water shortage budgets and the adoption of policy. Unfortunately, a lot of politicians do not agree with the parameters of practical water resource management and this result in judgements are being made on the basis of short-term political feasibility. The effects of water shortages are the most noticeable to the everyday man. More than half of the worlds hospital beds are filled by people suffering from water linked diseases as well as nearly 20% of deaths to children under age five being credited to water related issues. Water related diseases include a wide variety of well-known and feared ailments such as Malaria, Lice, dengue fever, Hepatitis and other more. Water shortage will pose major nation or global challenges as it would reduce agricultural production as well as lead to an increase in food and water prices. This will greatly affect consumers disposable income, businesses profits and economic growth. Water can also become a source of conflicts among communities, states and countries. Developing countries such as Malaysia are more harshly affected by water shortages problem. Lack of clean and fresh water will caused health concerns and human loss as a result of poor hygiene. A lot of people who cannot get supply of clean water on a regular basis will end up using unclean water from streams which are usually contaminated. Those who are using contaminated water will develop health complications like cholera, diarrhea and other more in the long run. Besides that, hunger is another negative effect related with water shortage. Water shortage will link to agriculture. With lesser water, the crops produce will be lesser thus in the long run will leads to hunger and thirst. Water Rationing Survival Water rationing means the water company will limit the fresh water supply to domestic and industrial area. During water rationing period it is needed for people to save water and prevent from wasting it. There are a few survival skills during water rationing such as greywater recycling. Greywater recycling is the waste water generated from washing machine and dishwasher is used for other stuff. The greywater can be used for cleaning the house compound, flushing toilet and many more. So, never pour water down the drain when there may be additional use for it for example watering a plant or garden, or for cleaning. This can be done by while taking showers, place a bucket in the showers to catch excess water and use the water for cleaning or flushing the toilet. This can be apply when washing dishes or vegetable in the sink. Next, it would be turning off the main water valves when it is not in used. As during water shortage, water is very limited. Thus when the local officials advice on the water rationing, it is better to off the main water valves to prevent those already in the tank is contaminated. Apart from that, during water rationing, it is best to repair broken or leaking pipes. This is to prevent extra water being wasted unnecessarily. This can be done by repairing dripping faucets by replacing their washers. Another method is to check for toilet tank leaks by adding food colouring into the tank. If the toilet is leaking, colour will appear in the toilet bowl within 30 minutes to an hour. It is good to check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most of the replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available as well as easily installed. During shower, it is better to take shorter shower instead of long bath. Replace the showerhead with ultra-low flow version. Some of the ultra-low flow version allows users to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs. In the shower, turn on the water to get wet and turn off after the body is wet then turn back on to rinse off. Repeat it when washing the hair too. Avoid flushing the toilet unreasonably. Throw of tissues, insects and other related waste in the dustbin rather than the toilet bowl. For the lawn, do not overwater the lawn. As a general rule, lawns only need watering every five to seven days in a week. Heavy rain will eliminate the need of watering for up to two weeks. If possible, do buy a rain gauge and use it to measure the rain that land on the lawn. Water lawns during the early morning hours when temperatures and are the lowest. This reduces water losses from evaporation. Another method is having bigger water storage. With less water used on days when the water is rationed, it is best to realigning the use of fresh water. Having extra storage in the house will be good if water rationing period is extended for a day or two. If the water storage is on the roof, it had to be big enough to store water for drinking, bathing and cooking. Recommendation to the Causes Identified There are a lot of steps that can be taken to solve water shortage issues. One of them is rainwater harvesting system. Rainwater harvesting system will cut down the usage of treated water used for car washing, toilet as well as general cleaning. This will save up on the water bills. One huge problem is finding sufficient space for the rain water harvesting system to be installed. It is not a small piece of device that one can just plug and play. Another recommendation for water shortage is desalinization. Desalinization is system which can filter the salty water through membranes and removing the salt through electro dialysis and reverse osmosis process. Desalinization process has worked for about 130 nations in North Africa and Middle East. With the use of this system, these nations are currently producing around six billion of fresh water daily. Since Malaysia is surrounded by sea, it is possible to introduce desalinization process. Besides this, another recommendation is to protect water catchment areas. Water consumption is normally divided into domestic, industry and agriculture. Most of the water consumption is for domestic sector as most of the industries and agriculture use raw water instead. Government should introduce more water catchment areas for example forest and lakes. These are the areas that must take into consideration of future need of raw water. These areas should be register as national park so no deforestation and no development could be done at that area. Thus, this would ensure the future supply of raw water. Government should improve the water supply infrastructures as a method to prevent water shortage. The government could build more service reservoirs to prevent water shortage. A service reservoir could store up to a minimum one or two days of storage of water. On top of that, government should use meters as a method to monitor how much water does people are sending down the drains, flushing in toilets and pouring over their gardens. Meter is the fairest way to charge for water and the people need to be held responsible for what they use. For example, a family of four uses as much water in a day as a sprinkler uses in an hour. If people are using sprinkle and swimming pool, they need to pay extra. Apart from that, the government should persuade and educate people to use less water. Small actions like turning off the taps during washing up could save a lot of water. For example, by turning off the tap while brushing teeth would save a lot of water. If a normal tap runs at five litres a minute, people do brush their teeth for two minutes for twice a day. It would be 20 litres that goes down the sink. Another method is by charging the water based on the water quality. A raw water quality based raw water tariff should also be in place to ensure the governments are receiving income by safe guarding the water catchment areas to secure raw water resources. Safe guarding water catchment areas will preserve the raw water quality and reduce cost of treating water which will be translated to affordable water tariff. Conclusion In conclusion, stopping water crisis from reaching tragic level needs more concern of people as well as governments. It can be an effective ways to increase consciousness among all people from all walks of life regarding the shortage of water and what people have to face in the future if the uncontrolled water usage is not stopped. Governments should implement laws to penalize uncontrollable use of water. People should be wiser and miser in using water. Everyone must think of better ways to discipline oneself so that water is not wasted. It is better to come up with precaution than solution. Finally, people should safeguard the environment and filter unwanted pollutants before it is release to the environment Reference Toltal Words: 2598 words 1