Potential impacts of climate change on food security Essay

Potential impacts of climate change on food security - Essay Example This is in either temperature or a decrease, as well as in precipitation since climate change does not affect certain areas in the same way. Current Trends A look at the production of food following the changes in climate, thanks to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, reveals that food production is bound to increase based on a number of factors. This is especially so in the case of regions that grow ice, maize and wheat, as carbon dioxide increases yields of these crops, but that implies that other regions not growing these crops as set to be left out in the bumper harvest (Parry et al, 2004). As per research, the most adversely affected regions are those found in sub-Saharan Africa, with the largest variation in cereal production, in a negative level. As for most of Asia, and all of Australia, increases in food production will be increased. As a result, Africa is the only region to suffer from reduced food security, whilst areas close to the north pole suffer seco nd, and the rest of the world experiences improved food security. Carbon and climate change All across the globe, one of the most common causes of climate change is carbon emission that leads to increases in temperature, which begs the question what are the effects of this gas on the climate. This has been concluded that carbon dioxide is a chief contributor to global warming, which is part of why the climate is changing to be warmer in some areas, while others get cooler. As a result, the use of alternative sources of energy that do not entail then emission of carbon into the atmosphere should be encouraged and can be encouraged by use of statistical or empirical data obtained from environmental studies on climate change. One of the ways in which climate change can be mitigated by application of natural resources and sustainability option is through use of renewable resources that have minimal impact on the environment. Those that contain trace amounts of carbon can be used as they do not release any carbon into the atmosphere and temperatures remain stable. Implications of this are that food production remains the same throughout time, and in spite of economic and agricultural activities. Resource sustainability Although there are studies that are indicative of food sustainability through climate change, the larger percentage of the human population is bound to remain in poor nutrition due to food insecurity owing to poor distribution of food resources. The use of renewable resources such as wind power are bound to mitigate these climate changes in that African regions experiencing drastic changes in reduced food production, all thanks to carbon emissions, get to enjoy similar food distribution trends. In addition, climate change can be mitigated to ensure food security by using soil conservation measures, where soil is a renewable resource, and its conservation is a guarantee for agricultural productivity. Because of these conservation efforts maintaining m oisture in the soil adds up to conservation efforts that are a largely required to ensure that soil as a renewable resource is kept intact and highly productive. This then highlights the need for water conservation, as water is a renewable resource, and one that requires the extended use of conservation to balance many other aspects such as maintain

Oscar Wilde’s Essay Example for Free

Oscar Wilde’s Essay The following essay will examine British Literature in two fold: the first being that of Oscar Wilde’s contribution to British Literature and the second being feminism in British Literature in the 1800’s and on. It is hoped that focusing on two separate but entangled subjects will make the paper more accessible and therefore broader in scope and understanding of the reader to British Literature. Peacocks and Sunflowers:Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"Immoral Aestheticism† as an Escape from Reality into the Realm of Beauty Gilbert, the author’s alter ego in Oscar Wilde’s essay â€Å"The Critic as Artist† (originally published in 1888) declared that â€Å"[a]ll art is immoral† (274), and that phrase turned into a manifesto for the â€Å"immoral aestheticism† doctrine of the famous dandy who decorated rooms with peacock feathers and showed in public with a sunflower in the buttonhole. The writer was condemned by contemporaries as a breacher of Victorian ‘moral’ style of living but justified by successors. As Ellmann explains, â€Å"[s]in is more useful to society than martyrdom, since it is self-expressive not self-repressive† and thus contributes more significantly to the acute goal of â€Å"the liberation of the personality† (Ellmann 310). The man who used to be convicted of the offence of â€Å"gross indecency† is praised now as an icon of decadent and modernist style, a revolutionary in aesthetics and ethics, and a prophet of beauty which is above and outside any boundaries. The concept of art and beauty as abstract notions being unrelated to the narrowly dichotomous morals takes a key position in Wilde’s oeuvre. Today’s critics are never tired in their coining of appropriate definitions for the writer’s aesthetic programme. Gillespie, one of the most important researchers of Wilde’s legacy, viewed it as consisting of â€Å"paradoxical gestures† which â€Å"delineate an aesthetic that celebrates the impulse to integrate, amalgamate, and conjoin rather than separate, dissipate, or disperse† (37). Although the writer was aware of â€Å"the grave spiritual dangers involved in a life of immoral action and experiment† (Pearce 164), he underlined the right of an artist to be immoral for the sake of eternal beauty. In his aestheticism, Wilde was an admirer and disciple of essayist and art critic Walter Horatio Pater with the latter’s emphasis on the esthete as a novel kind of being (Murphy 1992; Wood 2002). He was also immersed into the late 19th century cultural milieu as being involved into a polylogue on the topics of art, artist, ethics, and beauty which resulted in the emergence of Decadence and Modernism (Bell 1997). Altogether with the English fin de siecle men of art such as A. C. Swinburne, Walter Pater, Lionel Johnson, Ernest Christopher Dowson, George Moore Symons, and D. G. Rossetti, Wilde researched the concept of aesthetics as being constructed by a person who was proud of â€Å"[his] non-participation †¦ in ethical controversy† (Woodcock 53) and thus freed from the restrictions imposed by society and common law. Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"immoral aestheticism† as an integral part of the decadent and early modernist styles is what the present proposal attempts to look at. It will research Wilde’s critical and fictional legacy in regard to ideas and concepts as pertinent to the new understanding of relationship between art and morals. This proposal attempts to re-examine Oscar Wilde as a theorist of the novel aesthetics, establishing a link between the writer and other theorists and critics to prove that the call for immoral aestheticism was a brilliant attempt to overcome the boredom of reality and enter the world of absolute beauty. Modern Women’s Voices: Sexual Subjectivity in the texts of Victorian and contemporary British women writers Feminism is still one of the most popular critical lenses to zoom into details of history of literature and social life (Brennan 2002; Jackson 1998; Kemp 1997; Scott 1996), and it is proven to be useful within the framework of the given proposal aimed at tracing the common and differentiating points of the two critical periods of British literature. I am especially interested in the late Victorian epoch with its rise of independent women’s suffragist voices and the latest period with its diversity of tones and melodies composed by women writers amidst the turmoil of free speech and re-thinking of common gender values such as career, family, child-rearing, and gender relationships. The novels chosen are The Story of a Modern Woman by Ella Hepworth Dixon (1894), Anna Lombard by Victoria Cross (the pseudonym of Annie Sophie Cory1901), Foreign Parts by Janice Galloway (1994) and Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding (2004). The earlier and later books are divided by almost a century but despite a temporal distance there are common motives and aspirations which approximate the Victorian ‘New Woman’ and a modern British female as depicted in fiction. The feminist movement of the late Victorian period was pre-conditioned by many factors which made the trend not accidental but seriously grounded in the wider social context being permeated by patriarchal ascendance and rigidness of social structure (Bernstein 1997; Lewis and Ardis 2003). The ‘New Women’ movement that acquired much power during the period from the late 1890s to roughly 1915 featured a range of opinions concerning the heightened role of a female in a modern society (Walls 2002; Mitchell 1999). As Ardis (1990) observed, Dixon went farther than her colleagues in asserting the preciousness and independency of a woman as a self-sustaining creature (see also Fehlbaum 2005), whereas Cross’s Anna Lombard represents another type of the late Victorian womanhood as sacrificing her desires and aspirations for the sake of the traditional familial institution. The most recent books by Galloway and Fielding cannot be straight-forwardly labeled as ‘feminist’ writing, although they utilise some stylistic elements of feminist narration (Greene 1991). Whereas Galloway vividly portrays contemporary women as being able to function outside the patriarchic framework but provides no answer to the question about the appropriateness of such life style, Fielding is often criticised for the attempts to find consensus with a men’s world and, therefore, to abandon the programme of modern Amazons (Marsh 2004). Anyhow, both contemporary British women of letters share specific ideas concerning authorship and the interplay between feminist and non-feminist traditions to the extent that they can be seen as spiritual sisters of their Victorian predecessors. Being equipped with solid theoretical instruments from gender studies and psychology (e. g. Lacanian psychoanalytic theory) to conceptualise the evolution of womanhood and gendered selves in Great Britain throughout a century, I hope to establish a link between late Victorian and recent women’s writings with a special emphasis on the literary features of the female novel. The freshness of the proposal is in the choice of research objects (all the four novels are not enough extensively discussed by academic critics) and the carrying of analysis within the theoretical framework concerning authorship that was proposed by a Russian scholar Michael Bakhtin.

Inherit the Wind: Religion vs. Science Essay -- Inherit

Inherit the Wind: Religion vs. Science Stanley Kramer's film, Inherit the Wind, examines a trial based on the 1925 Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee. Often referred to as "The Trial of the Century" (Scopes Trial Web Page), the Scopes trial illuminated the controversy between the Christian theory of creation and the more scientific theory of evolution. John Scopes, a high school biology teacher, was arrested for illegally teaching evolutionism to his class. "The meaning of the trial emerged because it was seen as a conflict of social and intellectual values" (Scopes Trial Web Page). Kramer's film dramatizes this conflict between the Christian believers and the evolutionists in "Hillsboro, heavenly Hillsboro, the buckle on the Bible belt" (Inherit the Wind). Prosecutor Matthew Brady represents the values of fundamental Christianity while defense attorney Henry Drummond is the voice of reason and science. Although the two men have been good friends and partners in the past, the case in Hillsboro illuminates the difference in their values. Through the scene on the porch with Matthew Brady and Henry Drummond, director Stanley Kramer illustrates the incessant tug-of-war between religion and science. More specifically, camera angle and Drummond's metaphor of the "Golden Dancer" help deliver Kramer's belief in evolutionism. As the scene opens, Matthew Brady approaches Henry Drummond, who is rocking peacefully on the front porch of their hotel. The tone between the two men is light and friendly and the bland music playing in the background helps to portray the easiness of the scene. The opposing lawyers converse in a genteel manner, unlike their relationship in the courtroom. In response to B... ...lues. As the camera physically turns towards Drummond, Kramer leans towards evolutionism. Not only does this scene confirm Kramer's belief in the theory of evolution; it also expresses reason for Kramer's reservations regarding Christianity. With Drummond's metaphor of the "Golden Dancer, " Kramer enlightens the audience with some of the shortcomings of religion, such as susceptibility to corruption of the church. The porch scene in Inherit the Wind is not completely one sided though. It acknowledges the existence of both theories, resolving that the debate between creationism and evolutionism will continue forever. Works Cited Inherit the Wind. Dir. Stanley Kramer. With Spencer Tracy, Fredrick March, and Gene Kelly. MGM. 1960. Scopes trial web page. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/evolut.htm. Inherit the Wind: Religion vs. Science Essay -- Inherit Inherit the Wind: Religion vs. Science Stanley Kramer's film, Inherit the Wind, examines a trial based on the 1925 Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee. Often referred to as "The Trial of the Century" (Scopes Trial Web Page), the Scopes trial illuminated the controversy between the Christian theory of creation and the more scientific theory of evolution. John Scopes, a high school biology teacher, was arrested for illegally teaching evolutionism to his class. "The meaning of the trial emerged because it was seen as a conflict of social and intellectual values" (Scopes Trial Web Page). Kramer's film dramatizes this conflict between the Christian believers and the evolutionists in "Hillsboro, heavenly Hillsboro, the buckle on the Bible belt" (Inherit the Wind). Prosecutor Matthew Brady represents the values of fundamental Christianity while defense attorney Henry Drummond is the voice of reason and science. Although the two men have been good friends and partners in the past, the case in Hillsboro illuminates the difference in their values. Through the scene on the porch with Matthew Brady and Henry Drummond, director Stanley Kramer illustrates the incessant tug-of-war between religion and science. More specifically, camera angle and Drummond's metaphor of the "Golden Dancer" help deliver Kramer's belief in evolutionism. As the scene opens, Matthew Brady approaches Henry Drummond, who is rocking peacefully on the front porch of their hotel. The tone between the two men is light and friendly and the bland music playing in the background helps to portray the easiness of the scene. The opposing lawyers converse in a genteel manner, unlike their relationship in the courtroom. In response to B... ...lues. As the camera physically turns towards Drummond, Kramer leans towards evolutionism. Not only does this scene confirm Kramer's belief in the theory of evolution; it also expresses reason for Kramer's reservations regarding Christianity. With Drummond's metaphor of the "Golden Dancer, " Kramer enlightens the audience with some of the shortcomings of religion, such as susceptibility to corruption of the church. The porch scene in Inherit the Wind is not completely one sided though. It acknowledges the existence of both theories, resolving that the debate between creationism and evolutionism will continue forever. Works Cited Inherit the Wind. Dir. Stanley Kramer. With Spencer Tracy, Fredrick March, and Gene Kelly. MGM. 1960. Scopes trial web page. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/evolut.htm.

Teaching Ethics

School for scandal? Business schools turn their attention to ethics education This case examines the role of the business school in encouraging corruption in business, and looks at the potential impacts that business ethics training might have on students. It offers the opportunity to explore the significance of the individual and their education and experience for understanding ethical decision-making. It also provides a context for investigating the specific role, purpose, and impact of business ethics courses on business behaviour.When it turns out that the key figures in some of the most infamous cases of fraud and corruption in business are alumni from leading business schools, it is perhaps not surprising that the business schools themselves might come in for some criticism. After all, if people like Andrew Fastow, the convicted chief financial officer at Enron, or his boss Jeffrey Skilling, could have got MBAs from two of America’s premier business schools (Northwestern and Harvard, respectively) and , then it is inevitable that questions will be raised about what kinds of principles and practices business school students are being taught.In the last few years, a number of business gurus and commentators have publicly condemned business schools in general, and MBA programmes in particular, for their perpetuation of ‘misguided’ amoral theories and techniques, and the lack of attention to ethics in the curriculum.For example, Henry Mintzberg, the Canadian management expert has famously condemned the MBA model, suggesting that it ‘trains the wrong people in the wrong ways with the wrong consequences’, whilst Sumantra Ghoshal, the late London Business School professor has argued that the ‘worst excesses of recent management practices have their roots in a set of ideas that have emerged from business-school academics over the last 30 years. Ghoshal’s ire is directed to typical theories taught at business schools s uch as agency theory and Porter’s ‘5 forces’ model, which he claims perpetuate an idea that everyone is self-interested, managers cannot be trusted, business is a zero-sum game, and shareholder value is the only legitimate aim of business. The perpetuation of such assumptions, he suggests, leaves business school students devoid of any sense of moral responsibility. These criticisms have received a lot of attention in academic debates, but have also been readily recounted in the media and the business community.For instance The Economist ran a 2005 article headlined ‘Business schools stand accused of being responsible for much that is wrong with corporate management today’ which brought the arguments from Ghoshal, Mintzberg, and others to a wider audience – albeit in a context where the magazine rather predictably mounted a strong defence. After all, as The Economist argued, there are plenty of examples of corporate crooks who have not had a bu siness school education, so there are clearly other aspects to consider too.Nevertheless, whatever else the debate has done, it has certainly helped refocus the attention of business schools on their curricula, and especially on the provision of courses on ethics and social responsibility. At one level, this debate is simply about whether more business schools should be encouraged to introduce such courses into the curriculum. Whilst some schools have long included ethics in their curricula, others have tended to focus more on areas such as strategy, innovation, marketing and finance, whilst others have even dropped ethics courses due to low enrolments or political manoeuvring by sceptical colleagues.As one Wall Street Journal article put it, ‘MBA students and professors bristle at ethics requirements. Some faculty members resent being forced to squeeze ethics lessons into an already jam-packed syllabus, while students grumble that ethics classes tend to be preachy and philoso phical. ’ In this context, the evidence on the scale of ethics teaching is revealing. A recent survey of US schools found that 34 per cent required an ethics course at undergraduate level whilst only 25 per cent did so on MBA degrees.In Europe, the figures are if anything a little lower for compulsory courses, but more than 50 per cent of business schools report having an optional module on ethics or responsibility at undergraduate level and more than 30 per cent at masters level. Essentially, though, most business students can still complete a degree having had hardly any exposure to these subjects in the classroom – a situation that some are now trying to change. One development comes from the US, where a long running campaign by business ethics professors has been trying to make courses on ethics and responsibility compulsory for business students.Over 200 professors offered support to the campaign, but the AACSB (the body responsible for accrediting business degree programmes) appears, so far, to be unconvinced. A recent redraft of their guidelines for accreditation did not bow to the campaigners’ demands, and business ethics remains outside of their list of accredited subjects. Diane Swanson and Bill Frederick, the campaign leaders responded by condemning the AACSB’s arguments for excluding ethics as ‘desperate and out of date against the backdrop of unprecedented corporate scandals, increased public distrust of business, and a virtual sea change in corporate governance. However, some leading schools have moved towards greater attention to ethics. Harvard Business School, for instance, introduced a compulsory course on ‘Leadership and Corporate Accountability’ for all first year students in 2004 – a development that the school claimed represented ‘the most far-reaching course we’ve ever introduced on this subject’. In Europe, the situation is also changing, and in fact there appears to be significantly more support than in the US from European accrediting bodies.The Association of MBAs for example, has issued new criteria for the accreditation of MBA programmes that stipulate that the curriculum ‘should pay attention to ethical and social issues’, while the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) is also considering ways to integrate CSR into its EQUIS accreditation. New academic departments and centres have also sprung up in universities to lead ethics and responsibility teaching, such as the Business and Society Management department at Rotterdam School of Management and the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility in Nottingham University Business School.Whilst there is still a long way to go before schools successfully infuse ethics education across all of their courses, such developments certainly point to an increased emphasis over the past decade. Ethics and corporate responsibility feature far more prominently in the prospectuses of business schools than they did even a few years ago. Questions remain though about how ethics should best be integrated into the curriculum, and even whether exposure to the subject really has a positive effect on the decisions made by managers.While some maintain that a stand alone course on ethics is necessary to develop a suitable understanding of the subject and to consolidate its importance on the curriculum, others argue that this raises the prospects of generating an ‘ethics ghetto’ unconnected to mainstream business subjects such as finance and marketing. And the jury is still out on just how much of an effect any form of ethics training is likely to have on individuals. Various objections have been raised over the years, including the suggestion that students’ morality is already fixed and cannot be improved, and the accusations that ethics teaching is abstract, mbiguous, subjective, and little more than indoctrination from self-r ighteous ideologues. Of course, the extent to which some of these accusations are true will vary from course to course, and on the goals of any specific programme. In the main, evidence suggests that courses are rather better at enhancing students’ recognition of ethical issues, stimulating their moral imagination, and developing their analytical skills rather than improving students’ moral development or changing their values.As one business ethics professor puts it, ‘I do not want to teach moral standards; I want to teach a method of moral reasoning through complex issues so that students can apply the moral standards they have. ’ This highlights another growing debate among business ethics professors about the very purpose of business ethics education – and even what a business ethics course should consist of. Whilst one camp retains belief in the established practice of teaching moral philosophy to develop better normative thinking among student s, other camps have started to emerge.Some business school professors see more need to focus on practical management concerns, such as managing the corporate reputation or preventing accounting fraud, whilst others point to the need to understand ethics within wider social, political, and economic structures. One recent business ethics textbook (by Jones et al. 2005) was even introduced by the authors with an admission that they were ‘not particularly fond of business ethics’ because ‘business ethics in its present form is at best window dressing and a worst a calculated lie’!Ultimately then, developments in the field of business ethics education suggests that business schools and accreditation bodies may be beginning to take the subject more seriously, especially in Europe where something of a momentum appears to be building. However, the future direction of business ethics remains in some doubt. Not only will its integration into the curriculum remain pro blematic for some time yet, but as the subject expands and develops, the approach to teaching business ethics will probably shift quite considerably into new conceptual territory.Whatever the outcome, business ethics will have to go a long way before it presents a completely convincing antidote to corporate wrongdoing, and misconduct in the workplace. Questions 1. What are the main factors encouraging business ethics education and what are the main barriers to its further development and expansion? 2. To what extent can business education cause or prevent ethical infractions in business? Give arguments for and against. 3. Given the importance of situational factors in shaping ethical decision-making, what are the limitations posed by business ethics courses that focus on individual students?How would you design a course to focus primarily on situational issues? 4. Consider the aims and approach of the business ethics course that you are currently studying. What are these, and how ef fective is the approach for achieving these aims? What would you like to see done differently? Sources Alsop, R. 2005. At MBA programs, teaching ethics poses its own dilemmas. Wall Street Journal, 12 April. wsj. com. Boston Globe. 2003. Harvard raises its hand on ethics. Boston Globe, 30 December. Ghoshal, S. 2003.Business schools share the blame for Enron. Financial Times, 18 July. Ghoshal, S. 2005. Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 4 (1): 75–91. Jones, C. , Parker, M. , and ten Bos, R. 2005. For business ethics. London: Routledge. Lacy, P. 2005. From the margins to the mainstream: corporate responsibility and the challenge facing business and business schools. Business Leadership Review, 1 (2) (April): 3. Matten, D. and Moon, J. 2004.Corporate social responsibility in Europe. Journal of Business Ethics, 54: 323–37. McDonald, G. M. and Donleavy, G. D. 1995. Objections to the teaching of busi ness ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 14: 839–53. Mintzberg, H. 2004. Managers not MBAs: a hard look at the soft practice of managing and management development. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Swanson, D. and Frederick, W. 2005. Campaign AACSB: status report, January. www. pitt. edu/~rorst6/sim/aacsb. The Economist. 2005. Business schools, bad for business. The Economist, 17 February. Teaching Ethics School for scandal? Business schools turn their attention to ethics education This case examines the role of the business school in encouraging corruption in business, and looks at the potential impacts that business ethics training might have on students. It offers the opportunity to explore the significance of the individual and their education and experience for understanding ethical decision-making. It also provides a context for investigating the specific role, purpose, and impact of business ethics courses on business behaviour.When it turns out that the key figures in some of the most infamous cases of fraud and corruption in business are alumni from leading business schools, it is perhaps not surprising that the business schools themselves might come in for some criticism. After all, if people like Andrew Fastow, the convicted chief financial officer at Enron, or his boss Jeffrey Skilling, could have got MBAs from two of America’s premier business schools (Northwestern and Harvard, respectively) and , then it is inevitable that questions will be raised about what kinds of principles and practices business school students are being taught.In the last few years, a number of business gurus and commentators have publicly condemned business schools in general, and MBA programmes in particular, for their perpetuation of ‘misguided’ amoral theories and techniques, and the lack of attention to ethics in the curriculum.For example, Henry Mintzberg, the Canadian management expert has famously condemned the MBA model, suggesting that it ‘trains the wrong people in the wrong ways with the wrong consequences’, whilst Sumantra Ghoshal, the late London Business School professor has argued that the ‘worst excesses of recent management practices have their roots in a set of ideas that have emerged from business-school academics over the last 30 years. Ghoshal’s ire is directed to typical theories taught at business schools s uch as agency theory and Porter’s ‘5 forces’ model, which he claims perpetuate an idea that everyone is self-interested, managers cannot be trusted, business is a zero-sum game, and shareholder value is the only legitimate aim of business. The perpetuation of such assumptions, he suggests, leaves business school students devoid of any sense of moral responsibility. These criticisms have received a lot of attention in academic debates, but have also been readily recounted in the media and the business community.For instance The Economist ran a 2005 article headlined ‘Business schools stand accused of being responsible for much that is wrong with corporate management today’ which brought the arguments from Ghoshal, Mintzberg, and others to a wider audience – albeit in a context where the magazine rather predictably mounted a strong defence. After all, as The Economist argued, there are plenty of examples of corporate crooks who have not had a bu siness school education, so there are clearly other aspects to consider too.Nevertheless, whatever else the debate has done, it has certainly helped refocus the attention of business schools on their curricula, and especially on the provision of courses on ethics and social responsibility. At one level, this debate is simply about whether more business schools should be encouraged to introduce such courses into the curriculum. Whilst some schools have long included ethics in their curricula, others have tended to focus more on areas such as strategy, innovation, marketing and finance, whilst others have even dropped ethics courses due to low enrolments or political manoeuvring by sceptical colleagues.As one Wall Street Journal article put it, ‘MBA students and professors bristle at ethics requirements. Some faculty members resent being forced to squeeze ethics lessons into an already jam-packed syllabus, while students grumble that ethics classes tend to be preachy and philoso phical. ’ In this context, the evidence on the scale of ethics teaching is revealing. A recent survey of US schools found that 34 per cent required an ethics course at undergraduate level whilst only 25 per cent did so on MBA degrees.In Europe, the figures are if anything a little lower for compulsory courses, but more than 50 per cent of business schools report having an optional module on ethics or responsibility at undergraduate level and more than 30 per cent at masters level. Essentially, though, most business students can still complete a degree having had hardly any exposure to these subjects in the classroom – a situation that some are now trying to change. One development comes from the US, where a long running campaign by business ethics professors has been trying to make courses on ethics and responsibility compulsory for business students.Over 200 professors offered support to the campaign, but the AACSB (the body responsible for accrediting business degree programmes) appears, so far, to be unconvinced. A recent redraft of their guidelines for accreditation did not bow to the campaigners’ demands, and business ethics remains outside of their list of accredited subjects. Diane Swanson and Bill Frederick, the campaign leaders responded by condemning the AACSB’s arguments for excluding ethics as ‘desperate and out of date against the backdrop of unprecedented corporate scandals, increased public distrust of business, and a virtual sea change in corporate governance. However, some leading schools have moved towards greater attention to ethics. Harvard Business School, for instance, introduced a compulsory course on ‘Leadership and Corporate Accountability’ for all first year students in 2004 – a development that the school claimed represented ‘the most far-reaching course we’ve ever introduced on this subject’. In Europe, the situation is also changing, and in fact there appears to be significantly more support than in the US from European accrediting bodies.The Association of MBAs for example, has issued new criteria for the accreditation of MBA programmes that stipulate that the curriculum ‘should pay attention to ethical and social issues’, while the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) is also considering ways to integrate CSR into its EQUIS accreditation. New academic departments and centres have also sprung up in universities to lead ethics and responsibility teaching, such as the Business and Society Management department at Rotterdam School of Management and the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility in Nottingham University Business School.Whilst there is still a long way to go before schools successfully infuse ethics education across all of their courses, such developments certainly point to an increased emphasis over the past decade. Ethics and corporate responsibility feature far more prominently in the prospectuses of business schools than they did even a few years ago. Questions remain though about how ethics should best be integrated into the curriculum, and even whether exposure to the subject really has a positive effect on the decisions made by managers.While some maintain that a stand alone course on ethics is necessary to develop a suitable understanding of the subject and to consolidate its importance on the curriculum, others argue that this raises the prospects of generating an ‘ethics ghetto’ unconnected to mainstream business subjects such as finance and marketing. And the jury is still out on just how much of an effect any form of ethics training is likely to have on individuals. Various objections have been raised over the years, including the suggestion that students’ morality is already fixed and cannot be improved, and the accusations that ethics teaching is abstract, mbiguous, subjective, and little more than indoctrination from self-r ighteous ideologues. Of course, the extent to which some of these accusations are true will vary from course to course, and on the goals of any specific programme. In the main, evidence suggests that courses are rather better at enhancing students’ recognition of ethical issues, stimulating their moral imagination, and developing their analytical skills rather than improving students’ moral development or changing their values.As one business ethics professor puts it, ‘I do not want to teach moral standards; I want to teach a method of moral reasoning through complex issues so that students can apply the moral standards they have. ’ This highlights another growing debate among business ethics professors about the very purpose of business ethics education – and even what a business ethics course should consist of. Whilst one camp retains belief in the established practice of teaching moral philosophy to develop better normative thinking among student s, other camps have started to emerge.Some business school professors see more need to focus on practical management concerns, such as managing the corporate reputation or preventing accounting fraud, whilst others point to the need to understand ethics within wider social, political, and economic structures. One recent business ethics textbook (by Jones et al. 2005) was even introduced by the authors with an admission that they were ‘not particularly fond of business ethics’ because ‘business ethics in its present form is at best window dressing and a worst a calculated lie’!Ultimately then, developments in the field of business ethics education suggests that business schools and accreditation bodies may be beginning to take the subject more seriously, especially in Europe where something of a momentum appears to be building. However, the future direction of business ethics remains in some doubt. Not only will its integration into the curriculum remain pro blematic for some time yet, but as the subject expands and develops, the approach to teaching business ethics will probably shift quite considerably into new conceptual territory.Whatever the outcome, business ethics will have to go a long way before it presents a completely convincing antidote to corporate wrongdoing, and misconduct in the workplace. Questions 1. What are the main factors encouraging business ethics education and what are the main barriers to its further development and expansion? 2. To what extent can business education cause or prevent ethical infractions in business? Give arguments for and against. 3. Given the importance of situational factors in shaping ethical decision-making, what are the limitations posed by business ethics courses that focus on individual students?How would you design a course to focus primarily on situational issues? 4. Consider the aims and approach of the business ethics course that you are currently studying. What are these, and how ef fective is the approach for achieving these aims? What would you like to see done differently? Sources Alsop, R. 2005. At MBA programs, teaching ethics poses its own dilemmas. Wall Street Journal, 12 April. wsj. com. Boston Globe. 2003. Harvard raises its hand on ethics. Boston Globe, 30 December. Ghoshal, S. 2003.Business schools share the blame for Enron. Financial Times, 18 July. Ghoshal, S. 2005. Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 4 (1): 75–91. Jones, C. , Parker, M. , and ten Bos, R. 2005. For business ethics. London: Routledge. Lacy, P. 2005. From the margins to the mainstream: corporate responsibility and the challenge facing business and business schools. Business Leadership Review, 1 (2) (April): 3. Matten, D. and Moon, J. 2004.Corporate social responsibility in Europe. Journal of Business Ethics, 54: 323–37. McDonald, G. M. and Donleavy, G. D. 1995. Objections to the teaching of busi ness ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 14: 839–53. Mintzberg, H. 2004. Managers not MBAs: a hard look at the soft practice of managing and management development. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Swanson, D. and Frederick, W. 2005. Campaign AACSB: status report, January. www. pitt. edu/~rorst6/sim/aacsb. The Economist. 2005. Business schools, bad for business. The Economist, 17 February.

Created for Perfection but Destined to Fail

Having a dying child changes a family’s life. A mother will do anything she possibly can to aid this child. Likewise, the rest of the family will have to commit in order for their sibling’s well being. During and after a situation like this, life for the family will not be the same. In the movie, My Sister’s Keeper, directed by Nick Cassavetes, a happily married couple with two children live their life normally and joyfully until the day they learn that their two year old daughter, Kate, had leukemia and would not live past the age of five.In the movie Sofia Vassilieva plays the role of Kate, the dying girl, whose illness would not let her live past the five. Neither Kate’s parents or brother were a match with her and thus could not donate anything to aid her with her terminating disease. The parents decided to produce a one hundred percent in vitro child so he/she could give Kate what she needed: bone marrow, blood donations, and stem cells. Cameron Diaz, Sara Fitzgerald, the mother, together with Jason Patric, Brian Fitzgerald, the husband, agreed to have a baby â€Å"made in a dish to be spare parts for Kate.†(Breslin)And as soon as their baby was born, they would summit her into numerous surgeries so she could donate what ever Kate needed to live. To me this was a great attention grabber for the movie because it gave the plot originality. The in vitro child, Abigail Breslin, Anna Fitzgerald, was twelve and she introduced the movie speaking of how she was only made to aid her dying sister. She was the â€Å"perfect in vitro child who would be Kate’s genetic savior. †(Breslin) Ever since she was a newborn she was summited to numerous operations because of the different needs Kate had.Now that she is twelve, Anna files a lawsuit against her parents wanting to be medically emancipated, to have the rights to her own body. She claims she wants to live her life as a regular twelve year old girl without having restri ctions in her daily activities. Later in the movie however, the audience comes to find that Kate had actually pleaded Anna into filing the lawsuit. Kate does this because she had no desire of living anymore, she wants the suffering to end, and the fighting in her family to end.Kate wanted Anna to be free from the surgeries, she wanted to be at peace and she wanted to free her family from further suffering. Cassavetes directed and created an excellent â€Å"tear breaking† movie yet he failed to properly construct and revise Sara Fitzgerald’s role. Sara was portrayed as a loving mother, but to a point, her character was a selfish. Her main concern since the movie began was her daughter Kate’s well being and was â€Å"not going to let her die. † (Diaz) Sara became a mother primarily interested in making Kate live and thereby forgot her role as a mother not only to Kate but to Anna and her oldest son Jesse.Sara had the entire family dedicated to watching over Kate and her needs. This made Jesse feel ignored and would constantly flee home and Anna grew feeling unloved. When Sara received the papers of the lawsuit, she became infuriated and slapped Anna across the face. This action of hitting her child demonstrated how Sara simply disregards Anna’s opinion because listening to Anna’s desires meant letting Kate die and she was not going to allow that. Sara would rather have Anna feeling miserable with her life than to watch Kate die.She  gave up her entire life to watch over Kate’s health and she was not going to let anyone or anything ruin her twelve year battle. On the other hand, Brian’s role in the movie served mainly to defend his children. Although he struggled the same battle of keeping Kate alive with Sara, his character understood and stood beside what his children needed. He let Sara take over for twelve years but when the lawsuit came he understood Anna’s point and stood beside her. Personall y I loved when he took Kate to the beach because she wanted to see it before dying.He took her even if it meant having an argument with his wife which could lead to getting a divorce. Brian wanted to make sure that his daughter had what she wanted in her last few moments of life. Looking at Roger Ebert’s professional movie criticism and review of the movie My Sister’s Keeper, he stated that the movie is â€Å"an immediate audience-grabber. † He says that the movie is good because of the plot itself. A girl who is twelve was made so she could be spare parts for her dying sister.However, he does mention that the movie is subject to different interpretations to the viewers because some may agree on the lawsuit Anna placed on her parents and others may disagree. The audience’s opinion is controversial depending on their standing point. If a person favors life then he or she would disagree with Anna’s point because if she medically emancipates and decid es not to continue to donate to her sister, Kate would die. Others who favor choice, agree with the lawsuit because Anna has a life of her own and she must pursue and live it.Ebert feels Anna is right to have gone to the lawyer, Alec Baldwin, who proves 90% accuracy on his trials because she is being independent and an achiever of what she believes is correct. He also feels that Anna has been through enough ever since she was born. She has donated her sister blood, bone marrow, and stem cells and has had to undergo several surgeries and stays at the hospital because of these operations. Ebert discusses the issue that Anna should not give away her kidney to her sister because this would limit her physical activities.She will not be able to enjoy her childhood, her teenage years and many other activities she should be experiencing as a teen and even as she grows older. Ebert also discusses how Taylor, Kate’s dying boyfriend, gives My Sister’s Keeper its best element beca use he makes the movie â€Å"tender, tactful and very touching. †(Ebert) His opinion about the appearance of this boy in the movie was to distract the audience from the entire discussion and constant fighting of the Fitzgerald family over the lawsuit. Taylor allows the audience to see that Kate in spite of her terminating disease was able to live a life like any other teenager.With this romance, Cassavetes diverted the movie aside from the tragic family disputes and turned it into a romantic love story between Kate and Taylor, and what they got to live for a while. This romance gave the movie more realism, Ebert stated. Regarding Diaz’s role as the mother, Ebert believed that her character demonstrated her fierceness in wanting to solve and win a case in her private life. Since she was a successful lawyer and won most of her cases while in practice, she now sees Kate’s disease as a case she must win as well.Since Sara won cases most of the time, she now feels sh e must fight to keep Kate alive. This is her most intense case and she has won it for twelve years by having kept Kate alive past her expected death at five. Ebert agrees with the role of Sara Fitzgerald. Both my opinion and Ebert’s agree on many factors of the movie My Sister’s Keeper yet we disagree on one point. We both think that it was a great movie with an excellent plot and attention hook. The idea of having parents â€Å"make and create† a perfect match for their dying daughter was definitely a grabber.We believe that Anna has suffered her entire life and she now has the right to live her own life and enjoy being a kid. We feel she should not be worried of limiting her activities for the sake of helping her dying sister. For these reasons Ebert and I agree on the fact that Anna has the right to her â€Å"medical emancipation†, so she could have the right to her own body. Ebert and I also concord when we say that Anna’s family is near perfec t and that the only disfunction in it is Kate’s disease. The disease was not only killing her, but it was killing her family as well.â€Å"Beneath the exterior there were cracks and resentments† (Patric) that threatened the well being of the Fitzgerald family. The constant fighting between Brian and Sara, Jesse feeling ignored, and most importantly Anna having gone to a lawyer and having sued her parents portrays the family disfunction. The fact the Sara disregarded everyone’s opinion and did what she thought was correct without anyone else’s opinion, led the family to slowly break. We think that Brian’s role as the father, served mainly as a mediator.He was in the middle of every battle at home and he was constantly overruled by his wife. He had no voice in the movie until the end when he confronted Sara and took Kate to the beach with or without Sara’s approval. All through the movie Brian was more of a secondary character yet he proved hi mself after the scene of the beach. Brian defended what he thought was correct and stood by Anna’s side when she filed the lawsuit, he understood her point and could not believe he had let his daughter suffer so much for the past twelve years.Overall Ebert and I believe he had a fairly good role but his character stood out towards the end of the movie. In the role of Sara, Ebert and I disagree as to what we think Cassavetes wanted her to represent. To me Sara’s role and character in the movie, made her be disliked by the audience. She was set as a person who did not care about her husband, as a person who did not notice her son, and in a way she despised Anna for wanting to have the right to her body and stop being Kate’s savior. I felt she was a selfish mother who only cared about Kate’s life and no one else’s.Ebert believed that Diaz’s role was her merely wanting to save her daughter Kate at all possible cost. He felt Sara viewed this batt le as another win in her life, but this win was not in her professional life but in her private one. He thinks that this was a good touch in the movie to have portrayed the mother so involved and dedicated into saving her daughter’s life because it gave the movie a sense of reality and portraying how women would actually act in this situation. The movie My Sister’s Keeper, reflects the life of a model family and how a death sentence slowly split the family members apart.Roger Ebert in his critique for this movie highlighted major aspects which I myself thought of when watching the movie. The idea of having an in vitro child be subject to various operations to aid her dying sister, made the movie so intriguing and different from many others. The plot of this movie was unexpected and completely unpredictable. Overall the movie was great because it excelled in every aspect and most certainly because it was emotionally appealing to its viewers. I give the movie My Sisterâ €™s Keeper directed by Nick Cassavetes, thumbs up.

Miller Test Used for Defining Obscenity in U.S. Courts

Miller Test Used for Defining Obscenity in U.S. Courts The Miller test is the standard used by courts to define obscenity. It  comes from the 1973 Supreme Courts 5-4 ruling in Miller v. California,  in which Chief Justice Warren Burger, writing for the majority, held that obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment. What Is the First Amendment? The First Amendment is the one that guarantees Americans’ freedoms. We can worship in any faith we choose, whenever we choose. The government cannot restrict these practices. We have the right to petition the government and to assemble. But the First Amendment is most commonly known as our right to freedom of speech and expression. Americans can speak their minds without fear of reprisal. The First Amendment reads like this: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The 1973 Miller v. California Decision   Chief Justice Burger stated the Supreme Courts  definition of obscenity:  Ã‚   The basic guidelines for the trier of fact must be: (a) whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest ... (b) whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law, and (c) whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. If a state obscenity law is thus limited, First Amendment values are adequately protected by ultimate independent appellate review of constitutional claims when necessary. To put it in laymans terms, the following questions must be answered:   Is it pornography?Does it actually show sex?Is it otherwise useless? So What Does This Mean?   Courts have traditionally held that the  sale and distribution of obscene material are not protected by the First Amendment. In other words, you can speak your mind freely, including the distribution of printed materials, unless youre promoting or talking about something obscene based on the above standards. The guy standing next to you, an Average Joe, would be offended by what youve said or distributed. A sexual act is depicted or described. And your words and/or materials serve no other purpose but to promote this obscenity.   The Right to Privacy   The First Amendment applies only to disseminating pornography or obscene materials. It doesnt protect you if you share the materials or shout from the rooftop for all to hear. You can, however, quietly possess those materials for your own use and enjoyment because you also have a constitutional right to privacy.  Although no amendment specifically states this, several amendments pay lip service to the issue of privacy. The Third Amendment protects your home against unreasonable entry, the Fifth Amendment protects you against self-incrimination and the Ninth Amendment generally supports your right to privacy because it upholds the Bill of Rights. Even if a right is not specifically stated in the first eight amendments, it’s protected if it’s alluded to in the Bill of Rights.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Essay Example

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Essay Example Rhetorical Analysis Essay Essay Rhetorical Analysis Essay Essay Texting and driving is one of the most debated topics in society. Whether it affects all people or whether or not youre Just good at multi tasking. Yet, all people would come to the agreement that it is one the most dangerous activities to participate in and ends millions of lives yearly. Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone Risks published in New York Times by Matt Richtel and LOL? Texting While Driving Is No Laughing Matter: Proposing a Coordinated Response to Curb this Dangerous Activity by Alexis M. Farris are two articles that present variations of ethos, pathos, and logos nd make identical arguments claiming that texting and driving is not only dangerous but is shaping the way Americans live. Both articles illustrate several accounts on the dangers of texting and driving and how the activity could potentially be stopped proving both articles to be well accounted for. While Matt Richtel and Alexis. M. Farris both reach the conclusion that texting while driving has a negative impact on people, Farris article is far deeper and less biased then Richtels who relies more on personal inference rather than factual evidence. Matt Richtel begins his article Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone risks ith a personal account of a young man getting his first car and within the first couple of months of driving ending anothers life because of texting and driving. Richtel, conveys the dangers of texting and driving through interviews with teenagers and adults. Richtels use of this technique in writing makes his article personal and rather informal and directed to a more general public audience by interviewing people who are guilty of texting and driving making the situation more relatable. People such as Tad Jones who is the floor leader in the Oklahoma house who stated Im on the phone from when I leave the Capitol to when I get home, and thats a two hour drive, a lot of people who travel are used to using the phone (Richtel, 2). Ricthels main focus is the issue with people not understanding or caring about the dangers of texting and driving. Richtel makes decent claims and produces data and surveys that should open the eyes toa general audience such as 81 percent of cellphone users acknowledged that they talk on phones while driving and 98 percent considered themselves safe drivers (Richtel, 3). Richtel uses real life situations and eople to persuade the audience into realizing the severity of texting and driving and utilizes the information he has in way that interests the audience to want to know more about the topic at hand. Alexis M. Farriss article LOL? Texting While Driving is No Laughing Matter: Proposing a Coordinated Response to Curb Dangerous Activity introduces the audience with information about the increasing number of wireless cellphone users a long with increasing number of text messages that are sent every year (Farris, 237). Farris main goal in her article is to make the audience aware of the statistics and esearch that proves texting and driving to be extremely dangerous and to propose a solution that could help end distracted driving. Farris introduces the audience with statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealing the 20 percent of all car crash fatalities in 2009 were someway involved in distracted driving targeted toward a more academic audience such as researchers and scholars. In Farris article she addresses the Government and legislatures stating that Congress should utilize its Commerce Clause and essentially force the States to legislate the area of texting while driving (Farris, 251). She also goes on to lay out and explain the Bills and Laws that have been sent to Congress multiple times that ban using a cell phone while driving yet Farris claims that Congress has not acted (Farris, 254). Farris logic in her claims are supported well and she illustrates many compelling facts that prove the dangers of texting while driving to be accurate. Matt Richtels and Alexis Farris articles discuss the same issue and ultimately have the same end in mind on what to do about texting and driving. However, the information and credibility presented in each article is different. Matt Richtel, a journalist for New York Times presents many facts about texting while driving a long with the multiple interviews with people sharing their personal opinions, experiences and views about the issue and although the interviews and facts he presents are interesting they do not prove to be credible. Richtel fails to provide any sources for any of his research and seems biased in some of his claims in his article and completely lacking ethos. For example, Richtel presented a set of data that illustrated the number of cellphone distractions that caused deaths every year and went on to ay that Americans have largely ignored the research and that there is a large disconnect between perception and reality that is worsening the problem claiming that drivers overestimate their own ability to safely multitask (Richtel, 1). Texting and driving is a difficult topic to be unbiased about but Richtels claims make it seem that he is basing his opinions off of research and not experience. Whereas, Alexis Farris article consists of constant research and data supported by multiple transportation administrations and content pulled from bills stating rules about texting and driving (Farris, 252). Alex Farris obtained her Jurius Doctor degree from the Washington School of Law making her fully equipped to research the legal matters regarding distracted driving. Although Farris does state that Congress should step up and pass a bill ending texting and driving and propose ideas in order for it to subside, she backs up her claims with research and also attempts to see both sides of the issue with banning texting and driving. For example, Alexis stated that maybe the reason this happens is because people are so used to checking their emails and sending text messages all the time. Farris claims Drivers feel that they can support egislation banning texting while driving and yet still text themselves because, when it comes to texting while driving, they minimize the dangers of their own actions (Farris, 246). Farris attempts to see the reasoning behind why people continue to text and drive without blindly making a statement and once her evidence is Justified, she states her claim again tying herself back into her main points while using the right amount of ethos throughout the article. Matt Richtels use of pathos throughout Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone Risks is what makes the audience keep reading. By using personal interviews about individuals experiences the article seems much more applicable to the audience. Richtel interviewed a man who plead guilty to negligent homicide for the death of a woman he hit while he was distracted at the wheel of car. The man he interviewed told Richtel l hope they dont communicated to his audience through their emotions and made his article personal and relatable by using language that the audience could understand and connect with. In Alexis Farris article LOL? Texting while Driving is No Laughing Matter: Proposing a Coordinated Response to Curb Dangerous Activity provided no motional appeal whatsoever. Farris focused on the business side of texting while driving rather than diving into the audiences emotions. Since the audience is mainly targeted towards scholars and researchers the terms used are complex and a lot more technical than Richtels article. For example, Farris refers to the federal government and legislation multiple times throughout her article and discusses laws and policy of transportation in detail (Farris, 254). Although Alexis Farris pathos was not as present in her writings she targets the audience she intended to and does not et caught up in the emotions of the topic and base her article solely on emotional experience. Matt Richtels and Alexis Farris articles both illustrated key points in the controversial issue of texting while driving. While Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone Risks had a strong sense of pathos through emotional connection it lacked research and evidence to back up Richtels arguments and claims, causing the article to seem one-dimensional. LOL? Texting while Driving is No Laughing Matter: Proposing a Coordinated Response exemplified ethos and logos and while it did not resent the strongest pathos, Farris was confident in her claims and arguments about texting while driving enabling the article to stand on its own. Farris, Alexis M. I. LOL? Texting While Driving Is No Laughing Matter: Proposing A Coordinated Response To Curb This Dangerous Activity. Washington University Journal Of Law Policy 36. (2011): 233-259. Index to Legal Periodicals Books Full Text (H. W. Wilson). Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Richtel, Matt. Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone Risks. Www. nytimes. com. New York Times, 19 June 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.

Canadian Remembrance Day Quotes

Canadian Remembrance Day Quotes In 1915, Canadian soldier  John McCrae wrote a poem called In Flanders Fields. McCrae had served in the Second Battle of Ypres in Flanders, Belgium. He wrote In Flanders Fields after a friend died in battle  and was buried with a simple wooden cross as a marker. The poem describes similar graves on the fields of Flanders, fields that were once alive with red poppies but were now filled with the bodies of dead soldiers. The poem also highlights one of the ironies of war- that soldiers must die so that a nation of people may live. As is the case with most of the British Commonwealth countries,  Remembrance Day in Canada is celebrated on November 11. To mark the occasion, Canadians observe a minute of silence and visit memorials to honor the soldiers who died for their country. The poppy symbolizes  Remembrance Day, and some people wear the flower as a sign of respect. At the National War Memorial, a ceremony is held to honor the soldiers. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is also an important landmark where people show their respect. Canada has always been known for its peaceful people, vibrant culture, and beautiful countryside. But even more than that, Canada is known for its patriotism. On Remembrance Day, salute those patriotic men and women who have served their nation by reading some of the quotes  below. John McCrae In Flanders Fields, the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below. Jose Narosky In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. Aaron Kilbourn The dead soldiers silence sings our national anthem. Thomas Dunn English But the freedom that they fought for, and the country grand they wrought for, is their monument today, and for aye. Joseph Drake And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldiers tomb, and beauty weeps the brave. Agnes Macphail Patriotism is not dying for ones country, it is living for ones country. And for humanity. Perhaps that is not as romantic, but its better. John Diefenbaker I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind. Pierre Trudeau Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die. Lester Pearson Whether we live together in confidence and cohesion; with more faith and pride in ourselves and less self-doubt and hesitation; strong in the conviction that the destiny of Canada is to unite, not divide; sharing in cooperation, not in separation or in conflict; respecting our past and welcoming our future. Paul Kopas Canadian nationalism is a subtle, easily misunderstood but powerful reality, expressed in a way that is not  state-directed- something like a beer commercial or the death of a significant Canadian figure. Adrienne Clarkson We only need to look at what we are really doing in the world and at home and well know what it is to be Canadian.

PESTEL Analysis of Cummins ESB Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PESTEL Analysis of Cummins ESB Business - Essay Example Notable areas that Cummins ESB is likely to face political and legislative interferences include but not limited to taxation policies, labour laws, trade restrictions, Environmental regulation and investments especially public private partnership ventures. In other words Cummins ESB will have to comply with different legislations relating to taxation, labour, or investment in every country of their operation. Economic Factors Economic factors are inherent concern to Cummins ESB taking into consideration that the factors are likely to influence their profits, investments, costs, prices and demand to greater extent. Notable economic factors that are likely to affect operations Cummins ESB include but not limited to inflation, interest rates, unemployment rates, and or currency exchange rates. The fact that Cummins ESB engage in massive investments across the globe and the same time engage in repatriation of earnings to the parent company (Cummins Inc.), the company’s investments costs as well as revenues are likely to be affected by fluctuating currency rates. The currency rates are also likely to affect the cost of exported as well as imported products and services. Inconsistent interest rates in different countries are also likely to affect the cost of company’s investment abroad. Inflationary trends globally and in specific international market is also detrimental on Cummins ESB earning. Social factors Most markets in the international market are always distinguished from their cultural aspects most of which are inherent while others are acquired. Social trends such as Demographic change; fashion and preference, age distribution, levels of literacy, customs and traditions, attitudes and beliefs are likely to affect the operation of a multinational company to significantly. It is unlikely that Cummins ESB operations will be affected by social trends in the global market considerably. However, demographic change in country or region is likely to in crease demand for energy either for lighting, cooking and or heating. Additionally the population is growing more conscious about the form of energy they use as most environmental conservation agencies continue to drug for green energy. Technological factors It is noteworthy that technology is one of the major external variables that has played significant role in developing competitive products and services by Cummins ESB. The technology has not only benefited the company but also Cummins ESB customers as it enhance to effective and efficient delivery of services (Cummins Power Generation Inc, 2010). For instance, introduction of Electronic Funds Transfer Systems (EFTPoS) and Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS) has highly enhanced delivery of services and products. Through effective technology Cummins ESB has managed to design and build energy efficient diesel, LP gas or natural gas generators, digital controls and transfer switches for standby around the globe. All technologic breakth rough of Cummins ESB is attributable to the high investment in Research and development. Environmental factors It is always in the best interest of the common public that a company operate lean projects that are not harmful to the environment. This means that companies have responsibility to remain environmental savvy when producing or marketing

Cultural and religious diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cultural and religious diversity - Essay Example Individual behavior refers to a pattern of behavior that is generally followed by a person and the way a person interacts with other people, while organizational behavior refers to the generally accepted behaviors at the workplace. Diversity becomes an issue at the work place if preconceived opinions affect the way qualified employees are recruited, if the organization loses its customers due to differences and if differences in value affect effective communication at the workplace (Mathews, 2006). Culture diversity means respecting the different norms and standards that are generally acceptable in the society. What cultural diversity means is that our different identities are valued and maintained. Culture is a distinctive set of emotions, intellectual, material and spiritual features of people in a society.Every society has it s basic standards that are allowed such a normal personal space while conversing, eye contact, body language and a negotiating style. For example in the American society, it is proper to converse with some with an eighteen inches distance and at the same time it is in order to have direct eye contacts with people when having a conversation with them. When Cultural diversity is managed well in the organization, it makes the organization stronger as people with diverse cultures bring in creative solutions to problems, new negotiating skills and new and better ways of thinking. Diversity makes people behave in different ways and sometimes when we interact with our peers, we may not understand why people behave in certain ways and this is because our cultures are different. Another instance is when we meet people for the first time, they may behave in a manner that is strange to us but in reality, they are just following their cultures.Ethninicity affects human behavior in so many ways because it is usually experienced at a very early stage in life. By the time a person goes through adulthood, he or she experienced so much of what their culture asks them to and eventually it affects their behavior (Gardenswartz and Rowe, 1998). Gender diversity It refers to the differences in our sexual orientations. It means that a person is either a man or a woman and the proportion of men against women in the society. Initially, women were discriminated against as they were assumed to take home responsibilities as compared to work. Today, organizations are slowly treating women as equals because they believe that women can work as well as men. Gender can also have a very impact on a person's behaviour.At a very early stage in life children already know what is expected of them. For example, girls are taught that it is boyish to play football while boys are taught it is wrong to play with the girls. Boys are taught that they should be playful and be loud while girls are taught that they should be polite. If gender issues are not well balanced at the workplace especially at the recruitment stage, it means that an organization will have a limited pool to select from its human resources and thus reducing its chances of employing the best emp loyees. Religious diversity Religious diversity refers to the different beliefs that people are associated with. People belong to many religious organizations such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam. Religion plays a big role in determining

Nursing Response to Suspected Excessive opioid Overdose in Palliative Research Paper

Nursing Response to Suspected Excessive opioid Overdose in Palliative Care Patient - Research Paper Example However, in this case the answer was negative and the triage process was moved to decision section B. Decision section B, the triage staff, decides whether the patient can safely wait or can not to be given medical attention. If the patient is not able to hold on then the process is moved to decision section C. However, in this scenario, the patient can not wait much longer and thus the patient is categorized as ESI level 2. In ESI level 2, Three chief question are put into consideration. These questions are: (1) Is the patient in serious risk situation? (2) Is the patient disoriented? (3) Is the patient in serious distress? The triage healthcare provider obtains patient subjective and objective assessment to respond to these questions. From the short and quick interview, gross examination, and the six sense from the triage, healthcare provider in ER identifies the patient to be at high risk (Nielsen, Siersma, Nielsen, and Rasmussen, 2012). In ESI sub level1a above, the healthcare pr ovider perform the assessment of the patient. It is extremely complicating and of high risk when taking care of a patient under the overdose of the opioid. The triage healthcare provider has the responsibility of assessing the patient for any suspicion of the narcotic overdose. Some of the symptoms for a suspected opioid overdose the staff comes up with in this case are; slowing level of consciousness, low respiratory rate, decrease of the pupils in size, and poorly reactive pupils. Overdose of Opioid weakens the respiratory and the CNA. In the flowchart above the second step, ESI sub-level 2b, is the stimulation of the patient, it clearly suggest the patient to be stimulated by administering oxygen... ESL algorithm produces fast, reproducible, and clinically stratification of patients into five steps. It is better to operationalize a case scenario to demonstrate health flow use of ESI. Consider the case scenario represented in the flowchart above, The patient is Opioid overdosed and is admitted into the ER. For the ER staff to assist the patient they will have to create an ESL module that will facilitate the optimal care of the patient. ER staff initiates the drafting of the flow chart above using ESI triage tool. The tool aide the staff to formulate a sequence of analytical steps to assist the patient. ESI triage tool groups patients into five categories 1= most serious and 5= less serious. ESI postulate a method of classifying patients in ER by both resource needs and acute. ESI in the ER is to prioritize all incoming patients to denote those who can not wait to be seen. The staff in ER perform a quick, determined assessment, and assigns the patient a triage level, which is the key measure of how much longer a patient can safely hold on before treatment. It is vital to identify the workflow in ER can be extended further to achieve functionality that is not addressed by the external presentations included in the above levels. This can be postulated by programming new external application of certain problem.

Distinct Drivers for Change in ZExpress Assignment

Distinct Drivers for Change in ZExpress - Assignment Example Rockart defines it as: â€Å"the limited number of areas in which results if they are satisfactory, will ensure successful competitive performance for the business. They are all the vital areas where ‘things must go right’ for the business to flourish. (qt. in Harrison, et al, 1993 p418.) These drivers are also consistent with the four business goals of the organization as explained in the new CEO’s vision: â€Å"increase revenue, reduce costs, improved customer service, to be agile and responsive to the changes in customer’s and business’ needs across the world.† Establishing full global presence within the next six months in order to obtain a new and substantial business partner is a very important driver for ZExpress. This will determine whether Bonsai Motor Corporation’s partnership with the company for the distribution of accessories and spare parts of  µcron. The likely impact if ZExpress does not establish a full global presence within the next six months is that they would lose millions from the potential partnership with Bonsai Motor Corporation. This partnership would see ZExpress distributing accessories and spare parts for the  µcron. They would hold stocks of parts and guarantee delivery within 24 hours to any location in the world. This vehicle is very economical and should be in high demand as it is demonstrated to travel in excess of 120 miles on a US gallon of petrol. With the price of petrol where it is now, this is a good buy for someone who is interested in energy conservation. Innovation is important within the context of ZExpress to ensure real-time information and the reliability of the tracking system. The customer wants to be able to track the package to the delivery point within the specified time period.  

Southern Baptist Church Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Southern Baptist Church - Essay Example She being in the image of God as her husband and thus equal to him has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation." Another part of the document declares emphatically: "the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture." To some church members, SBC is living in the past. Thus, at least 10 faculty members of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and an unknown number of educators from five other SBC seminaries have reportedly left or were forced out of their jobs for refusing to sign the church document. Indeed, the women's fight for equality has come a long way since the Suffragists won the right to vote such that the meaning of women's "submission" to men may have changed significantly over time (Melick, 1998). Now, it is considered right and just for women to serve in the military, work in underground mines or fly an airplane (Hosken, 1981). Does the SBC edict agai nst women pastors belong to the dark ages when the prevailing culture expected women to be subordinate to men and very few women were as well educated as men The SBC in its Baptist Faith and Message acknowledges its commitment to gender equality, pointing out that men and women are of equal worth before God since both are created in God's image. Thus, both men and women are qualified for service in the church. However, the church maintains that the position of pastor is limited to men and women can only serve as helpers, the same way 10 of the 16 helpers in Paul's ministry were women as noted in the Apostle's letter to the Romans. According to SBC, its position on women pastors complies with the explicit teachings of the Scripture, which does not support the practice of allowing women to serve as pastors (Melick, 1998). On this subject, the SBC cited three reasons: 1) there were no women pastors in the New Testament times; 2) none of the instructions regarding church order include instructions for women pastors; and 3) some texts on church order explicitly forbid women to occupy the position of pastor. In effect, the church acknowledges that women have the same rights and privileges as men but in the same breath say that a woman cannot occupy a man's position, which at a glance seems to be contradictory. The church maintains that there is no contradiction here, as there is no contradiction when Paul in 1 Timothy 2:12 affirms the equality of men and women in salvation but equally and just as clearly affirms the priority of men in church leadership. In addition, the Bible says marriage is to be a companionship of equals (Genesis 2:24) and husband and wife have equal value as persons (Galatians 3:28). Nonetheless, the Scripture teaches a hierarchy of responsibilities, which is necessary for creation, time and our humaneness (SBC, 2000). In this organizational hierarchy, everyone needs to submit to someone else to maintain human order. The wife submits to her husband, while the husband submits to Jesus, who in turn submits to God. Each of them should then treat those who submit to them with respect. In this connection, Ephesian

Management Factors of Professional Success Assignment

Management Factors of Professional Success - Assignment Example A leader who shows no concern over the company’s performance will lead to its failure since almost all employees will follow his path and attitudes. On the other hand, a leader who shows concern will replicate similar traits and attributes among the employees. Though leaders have different styles of leadership, their activities immensely affect the operations of the organization. For instance, treating the employees nicely in anniversaries, taking them occasionally for lunch shows that one appreciates the work of the employees and how significant they are to the success of the organization. In essence, this shows that the manager or the leader values the employees (Daft 418). On the other hand, whenever the leaders delegate duties and decision making responsibilities to the employees, it shows that the leader believes in them. Therefore, the employees will have the autonomy to make decisions on how to accomplish the company’s objectives (Daft 419). It is, therefore, essential to note that the traits, activities, and decisions of the top leaders have an impact on the activities that take place in an organization.The statement â€Å"high versus low-quality leadership has a bigger impact on a firm’s performance than business en vironment† is mostly false. The situational variables within the environment perform differently according to the styles of leadership employed by the leader. For instance, the personnel in an organization have varying performance levels as according to the different leadership styles (Daft 418-420). For instance, individuals with low task readiness and skills will require a different leadership style than that of the highly skilled and competent employees. Employs with low skills and work readiness will highly depend on a directive leadership style where they will be given guidelines and direction on how to accomplish tasks and responsibilities within the organization. With this approach, the company’s performance will be solely depended on the leadership style. In this case, the leader explains decisions and issues the workers with a chance to ask questions and attain clarity on comprehending their responsibilities. On the other hand, competent and skilled workers mak e the leadership style insignificant or redundant. This is because these employees know how to perform their tasks and do not require a leader who initiates structure or who directs them on what to do.

Southern Baptist Church Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Southern Baptist Church - Essay Example She being in the image of God as her husband and thus equal to him has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation." Another part of the document declares emphatically: "the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture." To some church members, SBC is living in the past. Thus, at least 10 faculty members of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and an unknown number of educators from five other SBC seminaries have reportedly left or were forced out of their jobs for refusing to sign the church document. Indeed, the women's fight for equality has come a long way since the Suffragists won the right to vote such that the meaning of women's "submission" to men may have changed significantly over time (Melick, 1998). Now, it is considered right and just for women to serve in the military, work in underground mines or fly an airplane (Hosken, 1981). Does the SBC edict agai nst women pastors belong to the dark ages when the prevailing culture expected women to be subordinate to men and very few women were as well educated as men The SBC in its Baptist Faith and Message acknowledges its commitment to gender equality, pointing out that men and women are of equal worth before God since both are created in God's image. Thus, both men and women are qualified for service in the church. However, the church maintains that the position of pastor is limited to men and women can only serve as helpers, the same way 10 of the 16 helpers in Paul's ministry were women as noted in the Apostle's letter to the Romans. According to SBC, its position on women pastors complies with the explicit teachings of the Scripture, which does not support the practice of allowing women to serve as pastors (Melick, 1998). On this subject, the SBC cited three reasons: 1) there were no women pastors in the New Testament times; 2) none of the instructions regarding church order include instructions for women pastors; and 3) some texts on church order explicitly forbid women to occupy the position of pastor. In effect, the church acknowledges that women have the same rights and privileges as men but in the same breath say that a woman cannot occupy a man's position, which at a glance seems to be contradictory. The church maintains that there is no contradiction here, as there is no contradiction when Paul in 1 Timothy 2:12 affirms the equality of men and women in salvation but equally and just as clearly affirms the priority of men in church leadership. In addition, the Bible says marriage is to be a companionship of equals (Genesis 2:24) and husband and wife have equal value as persons (Galatians 3:28). Nonetheless, the Scripture teaches a hierarchy of responsibilities, which is necessary for creation, time and our humaneness (SBC, 2000). In this organizational hierarchy, everyone needs to submit to someone else to maintain human order. The wife submits to her husband, while the husband submits to Jesus, who in turn submits to God. Each of them should then treat those who submit to them with respect. In this connection, Ephesian

Employment Law case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employment Law - Case Study Example Momma Mia will then be subjected to wrongful termination charges. In addition, Momma Mia will be held liable for providing state and federal employment taxes, compensation insurance, withholding taxes, Social Security taxes and other employment benefits. Misclassification can subject an employer to penalties (DuBoff 1999 p. 80; Twomey p. 605). No statutory law clearly defines the term ‘employee,’ but common law describes an employee as one who provides or performs services for another for compensation where the employee determines the manner and the means by which the services or work is to be performed. This common law agency-test was laid down in Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co v Darden, 503 US 318 (1992). Likewise, section 220 (2) of the Restatement (Second) of Agency defines the term servant similarly and enumerates ten elements to distinguish between servant and independent contractor: extent of control; distinctiveness of occupation; necessity of supervision over na ture of work; skills required; supply of tools for the work; length of employment; method of payment; role of work in employer’s regular business; what the parties believed, and; if principal is in business or not. Applying the law at bar, Jill qualifies as an employee. Her schedule and contacts, among others, need to be approved by her employer and equipment and other tools will be supplied as well by it.

Video Case Study Essay Example for Free

Video Case Study Essay 1. In the 21st century what trends in the environmental forces (social, economic, technological, competitive, and regulatory) (a) work for and (b) work against success for Prince Sports in the Tennis industry? a) The social media and technology have helped the success for Prince Sports. b) The economy and competitors work against the success of Prince Sports. 2. Because sales of Prince Sports in Tennis-related products depends heavily on growth of the tennis industry, what marketing activities might it use in the U. S. to promote tennis playing? They could hold local city tournaments. They could also sponsor a tennis team or donate tennis rackets to a school to promote playing tennis. 3. What promotional activities might Prince use to reach (a) recreational players and (b) junior players? a) School sponsorship, hosting junior tournaments, web advertisements, social media presence. 4. What might Prince do to help it gain distribution and sales in (a) mass merchandisers like Target and Wal-Mart and (b) specialty tennis shops? a) Focus on circulars (ads in Wal-Mart paper) organizing tennis rackets in a positive way that could increase sales. Find a way to sell their rackets for cheap. b) Suggest sponsoring an athlete or create custom displays in the store. Focus on wall space, and making the best racket. Personal selling, and market the product to the important people. 5. In reaching global markets outside the U.S. (a) what are some criteria that Prince should use to select countries in which to market aggressively, (b) what three or four countries meet these criteria best, and (c) what are some marketing actions Prince might use to reach these markets? a) Are there professionals from the country, Economy status, Demographics, b) Germany, United Kingdom, France, Czech Republic, c) Find an athlete and convince them to be sponsored by your company.

Providing British Airways Plc with a strategic plan

Providing British Airways Plc with a strategic plan Executive summary: This essay is formed for the purpose of providing British Airways Plc with a strategic plan to apply over the nearing future. British Airways is the UK market leader in the Airline industry. It has faced ever-increasing competition over the past 10 years resulting attrition  in their market share. The report commences by analyzing the current internal and external environment of British Airways. Through strategic evaluation we have suggested that BAs focus on their primary service delivery to refurbish their competitive benefit within the industry. This will require applying a grouping of two strategies; a public processes strategy and a strategy focused on technological development. The public processes strategy was a consequence from a number of industry basis demarcating BAs turn down in customer fulfillment. The technological development strategy corresponds with the regeneration of BAs aircrafts and will further improve on the whole consumers satisfaction. Introduction: The main aim of this report is to direct British Airways strategically using the current strategic position of the company and the internal and external environment. After analysing the companys position both externally and internally using appropriate tools, a final design is created giving a set of strategic options to the company. Finally an appropriate strategic option is evaluated and the methods of implementation are discussed. British Airways is the UKs largest intercontinental airline. In addition to scheduled services, BA is affianced in the process of international and domestic carriage of cargo and parcels, and additional services. In association with code share and franchise partners, BA fly to more than 300 destinations, and carried more than 33 million passengers, earning over  £8.7 billion in profits in 2007/08. Employee population in March 2008 was 42,377 people. After being privatised in 1987, BA has been a competitor in the market and has held a place worldwide. In the recent, BA has been named the worlds first airline to take part in a proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 2002 and to allow passengers to print online boarding passes in 2004. Willie Walsh became Chief Executive of BA in 2005. He has focused the company through the completion of Terminal 5 at Heathrow, amongst other new initiatives. In spite of global economic down BAs future as an international business organisation, looks promising. Current Strategy: The company uses 5 strategic goals for the year 2009/10. They are basically to be the first choice airline for the long haul premium customers, to deliver an outstanding customer service at each and every point, to grow their survival in key global cities, to gain a leading position in London, to meet their customer needs and to improve their margins through new revenue streams. Long haul premium customers are considered to be their key to their profitability. They will use their deep understanding of what is required to be their airline of choice to drive the design choices on product, network and service. They will also maintain a strong presence in the cargo economy and short haul segments, which play a critical supporting role. Their customer-facing staff will be passionate about delivering outstanding customer service. They are planning to build through a revolution in the way they lead, train and reward, so that all customers, on all routes and classes, enjoy a premium experience. They will invest both in improvements targeted at premium customers, such as service training, and in those benefiting all customers. They aim to provide the best global connectivity for customers. They will build their presence in the top global cities, either directly or through their expanding network of airline partnerships. Despite the fact that the established global cities such as London and New York remain critical, they will place a special emphasis on developing their position in the global cities of tomorrow. London is the worlds biggest and most competitive international air market. Ensuring Heathrow remains a world-class hub vital enough to give them a strong London base to serve the largest international long haul markets. To support this, they will look to influence government policy decisions, and work with the airport owners on the continued development of the infrastructure. 1. External Analysis: This section indicates the external environment of BA as it is very necessary for an airline industry to remain updated about the external environmental factors. It also highlights the position of the industry, its competitors, and its capabilities to meet the current and future challenges. 1.1 PESTEL Analysis: 1.1.1 Political: Heavy regulation from the UK government has been a major challenge to the company. Hence, it is essential for BA to comply to the rules if the company has to continue operations. Moreover, since the government has increased security due to past terrorist threats, sufficient security measures should be in position to ensure consumers self-belief and competitive advantage should be maintained. 1.1.2 Economical: Due to global economic crisis, world growth is projected to just over 2 percent in 2009. The value of Pound has begun to slide especially against the Euro. Possible reduction in the amount of business travel as companies are cutting costs and using alternative means of communication such as teleconferencing. Hence BA is vulnerable as an UK operating airline to a poor exchange rate. Oil prices have been declining by 50 % since their peak retreating to 2007 levels. Decline in fuel price will obviously strengthening of the dollar changeability in oil prices and exchange rates will directly affect BAs cost base. UKs consumer spending had its sharpest decline for 13 years between July and September 2008. Hence there is an expectancy of more intense competition in the near future. 1.1.3 Social: According to the national statistics online, The UK has an aging population since the past decades. Potential opportunities may arise, as older generations have more time to spend on leisure activities such as international travel. At the same time the increase unemployment may also led to increase in the bargaining power as an employer 1.1.4 Technological: A recent survey discovered that 34% of online clients plan to use price comparison sites more in 2009. This clearly reveals that there is an increase in consumer awareness and therefore bargaining power of the same may also increase. Online booking services and check-in is becoming popular in the airline industry. Hence BA must ensure that they stay up to date with these technological progress at the same time as avoiding becoming overly reliant, as this may separate certain consumer markets (i.e. the elderly) who dont feel contented using such technology. 1.1.5 Environmental/Ethical: New legislation is being implemented every year. Due to tighter environmental rule the operational costs may increase each year for the company. Hence, BA should be aware of both Noise pollution controls, and energy consumption controls. Due to limited land and for growing airports expansion is difficult. Further expansion at Heathrow is difficult as it may affect the Londons agricultural area. Due to this the company should concentrate on limited capacity aircraft and effective utilization of capacity. Failure to implement an incorporated environmental strategy could lead to an unfavourable effect on the BAs reputation and income. Cancellations of flights and loss of baggage, such ethical issues could have a negative effect on reputation if left unsettled 1.1.6 Legal: Limitations on mergers will have an impact on BAs proposed alliance with American Airlines. Recognition of trade unions and industrial action e.g. Cabin Crew strikes are necessary if the company has to withstand in the global market. Good employee relations are essential if BA wants to avoid industrial action and interrupted operations. Open Skies Agreement is a colossal opportunity for BA and its competitors to freely transport aircraft between the EU and US. 1.2 Porters Five Forces: It is imperative to analyze the competitive nature of the airline industry to measure the position of BA. The Five Forces tool will be facilitate BA to make strategic decisions in order to increase the effectiveness. 1.2.1 Competitive rivalry: BA provides frills for both long haul and short haul flights. Within long haul there is a little isolation between the BA and their other competitors, in terms of price and service contribution. The short haul market is more uneven with many small competitors. Strengthening of competitors has increased the competition. Direct competitive rivalry is severe, e.g. Virgin Atlantic has a website opposing the proposed strategic coalition of BA and AA. Hence it is found that BA does not suffer in its sector due to its competitors. 1.2.2 Power of Suppliers: BA is benefited by a high bargaining power since there are two aircraft manufacturers. The sole supplier of fuel to the airport is being permanently stopped by the company. The existing users get the top priority in landing slots according to their historic rights. Trade unions help BAs employees by providing them collective bargaining, in order to increase their bargaining power. Hence the power of suppliers does not affect the BAs efficiency in the means of its suppliers. 1.2.3 Power of Buyers: The company is found to be more concentrated on its suppliers than the buyers. This is because they have a very little bargaining power. Enhanced usage of internet has enlarged the awareness and interface between the customers. 1.2.4 Threat of New Entrants: High environment regularity requirements and high capital cost requirements are the new main barriers to the company. The failure of new airline companies such as XL and Zoom is likely to discourage new entrants 1.2.5 Threat of Substitutes: There are a few direct substitutes for short haul flights such as euro star and ferries. No notable substitutes can be found for long haul flights. 2. Internal Analysis: It is now important to analyse the internal environment in order to create the suitable strategies. 2.1 Resources and Core Competences: It is derived that a companys competitive advantage and superior performance is calculated from its independent capabilities. The resource based view emphasizing BAs resources and competencies is summarized below. 2.1.1 Resources: The company runs 245 aircrafts covering over 550 destinations. Additional services such as BA Holidays The London Eye Company, has been a fruitful resources for the company. The company is well equipped with an International Customer Database which helps them to keep track on the latest customer information. Partnerships Alliances with one world including American Airlines, increase the companys wealth against the resources. Sole access to LHRs Terminal 5 is a huge boon to the companys brand image. BA is renowned globally as a reputable brand, resistant by its long-lasting survival within the Industry 2.1.2 Competences: The company has its own training of ground school, flight simulators, and cabin safety training which holds the favourable part in its core competences. The company holds the capability to fly and handle passengers safely on different routes (Open Skies). Their subsidiarys aircraft never have more than 64 passengers per flight, with one flight attendant per twelve customers. They also hold the name as the first UK airline known as a training centre by the City Guilds, educating all cabin crew with NVQ Level 2. 2.2 SWOT Analysis: 2.2.1 Strengths British Airways is a well-reputed brand name that has achieved constancy and conviction from its customers. Modern culture enables BA to take full benefit of technological developments such as, online sales, in house check in. BA has a worldwide geographic exposure with excellent communication with strong international coalitions. 2.2.2 Weaknesses BA has however to have recovered from events such as the Iraq war, the 2001 and 2005 terrorist attacks because of its dependence on international air travel. But the hazard still remains. BA continues to have enormous debts. Recent job cuts may have a harmful effect on BA as in the past this frugality effect has resulted in understaffing and industrial exploit in 2004 and 2005. 2.2.3 Opportunities The increase of internet usage worldwide is likely to further expand BAs online customer base Value-added and pioneering flight services such as sleeper services, will attract more customers as customer prospects are heaving. The current UK government hassles Heathrow as a worldwide gateway and proposes a third short runway and sixth terminal be opened by 2020, which will also promote BAs brand image. 2.2.4 Threats Low-cost airlines continue to benefit from strong growth and power in the market and new entrants and the probability of them being issued with long-haul licenses could create a further hazard to BAs market share. The continuing increase and variation in fuel prices may threaten them with regards to not attaining a profit margin of at least 10%. Customers are still vigilant of the threat of repeated terrorist attacks. With the increase of rivalry in the low-cost airline market, more companies may focus their strategy on high eminence and hence increase the direct opposition for BA. 3. Analysis of Strategic Options: Based on the scrutiny performed the five most viable strategic options will now be measured further in terms of aptness, adequacy and viability 3.1 Strategic Option 1 Development to People procedures: The study highlighted the most recent negative attention both internally and externally. The Resource Based View and SWOT are identified as BAs public condemnation for poor customer service and impediment management and disapprovals following a number of unhelpfully handled employment associated cases. A people progression strategy may reconstruct brand image and stakeholders self-assurance. 3.1.1 Aptness: Looking at the current economic environment, unemployment is increasing. Therefore, the hazard of industrial action and acquiescence are less possible at this time. BAs current strategies are to stimulate, employ, support and develop employees, together with recuperating baggage handling and delay management. Enhancement in internet usage, with more consumers and self-governing services reconsidering and contributing feedback. Better customer relations may improve such systems. 3.1.2 Adequacy Staffs and consumers are expected to invest high interest into the growth of their relations with the organization due to the negative past experiences. Skytrax emphasizes that customer relations is an important measure for consumers when selecting airlines, increasing the prospective of high profits. 3.1.3 Viability The Resource Based View shows an global consumer database. Admittance to such information could help BA in market research and customer relationship development based on conclusion. The industry and organization is highly combined, and are likely to increase support from this exterior body when strategically increasing employee relations. 3.2 Strategic Option 2 Enhanced Environmental Position. As recognized within the PESTEL analysis, environmental concerns are becoming increasingly important. An involuntary strategy as a result could be suitable to construct an improved environmental place and go beyond the requirements of parameters such as the climate change. 3.2.1 APTNESS BA profits from a resonance brand image which would be further imposed by this strategy. This would make sure that BA remains a strong global contender by making sure they are meeting changes in socio-economic actions. Customers are becoming more environmental responsive and this strategy would at least make certain that BAs market share is not negotiated if competitors go in a parallel direction. 3.2.2 ADEQUACY Changes in customer choices point out a sharp anxiety for the environment. Therefore this strategy is short risk, especially when attached with a low scale of uncertainty. In addition, this strategy will make sure that BA is recognizing and meeting customer demands. As the necessities of environmental rules are repeatedly increasing, it would be valuable for BA to be the first hauler in the industry and make changes prior to any of its competitors. 3.2.3 VIABILITY Assets may be better engaged elsewhere, as spending in environmental strategy may not increase profits. BA must be certain that it will be able to successfully follow such a strategy as if it would not succeed it would be open to public enquiry which could break its current strong brand image. 3.3 Strategic Option 3 Enhanced Technological Position. The technological capabilities of an airline is increasingly disturbing consumer choice of airlines, from both holiday and business fliers. Better development of the in-flight services will improve their overall service, increasing long-standing profits. 3.3.1 APTNESS The in-flight entertainment amenities need to be greatly enhanced and become more consistent. This will guide to a long-term development in the number of passengers. Many of BAs major competitors are beginning to bring in basic internet facilities on selected flights. Therefore it is in its importance to keep up with the rivalry and surpass it by bringing in internet access on all flights. BA is at present on a service of one flight from London City Airport to JFK, New York. BA also needs to contend with other modes of travel, which already have internet capabilities. By applying the strategy, BA can refresh its image even as maintaining conventional principles. 3.3.2 ADEQUACY Wide-range testing has found the internet connection to be consistent, with loss of connection only taking place for a couple of seconds during unfavorable weather conditions. Project accomplishment takes only 3 days per plane. 3.3.3 VIABILITY Possession of the operations is less expensive and more dependable than the Abandoned Connexion service offered by Boeing. BA has a sagging resource in the technology section needed to apply this strategy. BA must implement this technology first time effectively otherwise, it will receive serious denigration and could mess up its long-standing image 4. Conclusions and Recommendations: On the examining the strategic options it has been determined that before growth strategies are followed BA should concentrate on protecting its current market place and attaining elementary service class. Based on this the people progressions and technological development strategies are believed most suitable for performance. British Airways remains vigilantly hopeful about its future prospects. However, it is sure that significantly more work lies further on if the airline is to accomplish their goals. The FSAS plan integrated by BA resulted in substantial cost savings, and also raised funds to repay debts. The objective of the FSAS plan was to achieve a 10% functioning margin and hence more recent cost cuts and job losses have been made by the CEO in order to achieve this. In air travel, the fact of success or failure depends on peripheral factors, with BA suffering badly in the consequences of the 2001 and 2005 terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq and the worldwide economic slowdown. However, the one most important external factor is the cost of fuel. Fuel costs are continuing to rise and this is likely to both corrode income and hoist prices for BA. Rising prices could rest BA in a detrimental position, particularly given the continued fame of low cost airlines. The CEO must understand that the important growth area for BA is likely to be in value-added services. In some parts, BA found that it could improve consumers experience while deducting costs, such as in its rising up of online sales. Other value-added services are likely to see mid-priced flights being improved, as air travel persists to become more competitive. On the whole, BA must continue to endeavour to reduce costs and improve customers and employee fulfilment.