Ethics and Moral Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethics and Moral Theories - Essay Example This doctrine assumes that we cannot ask others to act in their own self interest because it can negatively affect my self interest. 2) Individual Ethical Egoism: This is the belief that every individual should work for my interest. This is also termed as egotism and goes to an extreme level of selfishness whereby we believe that not only we should act for our self interests, others in the universe shall also act for our interests. There is no practical justification of this doctrine as it borders on extraordinary levels of selfishness (Pojman & Fieser, 2011). 3) Universal Ethical Egoism: This doctrine argues that all individuals should pursue their own self interest exclusively with no regard to the interest of others or no intention to contribute towards their interest. An issue with this theory is that without appropriate knowledge of the world, it will be difficult to understand our own interest. Furthermore, there can be debate over to what constitutes self interest. Act Utilitarianism:- Act utilitarianism states that our duty on any specific occasion is to act in a way that will produce greater total good and better consequences than what any other act will produce. This rule is applied directly to a selection of particular actions under particular events. Rule Utilitarianism:- Rule utilitarianism states that it is our duty to abide by rules designed for the greater total good and produce consequences better than those produced by any other rules. This doctrine is applied to a selection of a set of rules which are then used to determine what to do in particular situations. Feminist ethics is an attempt to reformulate the traditional theories of ethics with respect to the aspects that devalue women’s moral experience. It aims to correct male biases in historical and traditional ethical theory by emphasizing relationships

Glaxo Smith Kline's Business Strategy Case Study

Glaxo Smith Kline's Business Strategy - Case Study Example 2004, p. 10). Two of the four elements of a strategy, internal competencies and shortcomings are within the organization and can be controlled by it, if properly appraised. The other two, changes in the environment and intelligent moves by competitors are external forces, and require adoption or modification of action sequences and determined policies to achieve organisational goals and fulfilling stakeholder expectations. Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK), one of the largest companies operating in the "technically innovative" and highly competitive "global market" pharmaceutical industry. (Lynch 2006, p. 191). In the pharmaceutical industry, obsolescence is a constant challenge and companies are required to constantly replenish old drugs, which means that the research and development 'pipeline' should be kept flowing. The development of a single new drug is estimated to cost up to $ 500 million and takes several years. However once developed a new drug has patent protection which means the company that developed the drug can have exclusive marketing rights for a period of (generally) ten years from the time the patent is registered. The drugs are marketed to customers - as doctors, hospitals and government health agencies through large sales forces. Companies employ several thousand specialist sales personnel in North America alone. All these operations require large financial outlays. Therefore organisational size does matter as revenue generation normally corresponds to size. According to Michael Porter, five external forces impact businesses. They are industry competitors, potential new entrants, substitutes, suppliers and buyers. (Porter 2004, p. 4) He offers three generic strategies to meet the challenges of these forces: cost leadership, differentiation and focus (Porter 2004, p. 35). While questioning some of the premises on which Porter based his theory, in a provocatively titled box, "Bye, Mr. Porter", (Whittington 2001, p. 67), Whittington proposes three strategies for companies to achieve growth: they are innovation, diversification and internationalisation. (Whittington 2001, p. 73). As we have seen innovation is an intrinsic factor that is necessary for survival in the pharmaceutical industry, diversification implies diversification, integration and takeovers. During the nineties many pharmaceutical companies have taken the 'mergers and acquisitions' route to augment their c ompetitiveness and enhance financial outcomes such as revenue generation and profitability by: Increasing and consolidating organizational size for Achieving economies of scale and reducing costs Complementing/extending ranges of products and services Replenishing

International business communication Assignment

International business communication - Assignment Example ciple of global e-commerce discusses about the details of e-commerce and e-business activities and how internet and social networking along with other digital tools are used for marketing activities. The strength of a traditional hierarchical structure is that the employees have clarity of their position in the organization and they have a single person to report to. This as a result removes any ambiguity of roles and overlapping of responsibilities, thereby removing any room of error (Baligh, 2007). Owing the presence of steep hierarchical structure, internal organizational communication becomes a challenge. In most cases the employees can only contact the supervisor who is immediately above him in hierarchy. The hierarchical organizational structure is suitable for very large firms, with more than a thousand employees. It is mostly suitable for the firms which operate in relatively stable market environment. The strength of a bureaucratic organizational structure lies in strategic decisions taken by the organization. It allows the higher management to have high level of control in every decision making process in the organization (Baligh, 2007). In a bureaucratic organization the employees are less motivated and their creativity is not encouraged. The higher level of control by the management reduces the room for working freedom and flexibility in the work environment thereby de-motivating the employees. This type of structure is suitable for the firms where strictly following rules and regulations are imperative to high quality product and service development, such as in case of hotel management (Bate, 2008). The matrix organization allows the firm to bring together all the managers and employees together so that they can proceed towards a shared goal. The departments can work closely together owing to the efficient exchange of information (French and Rayner, 2011). Organization behaviour is the aggregate of the ways in which an organization impacts the

Consumer Behaviour on Facebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Consumer Behaviour on Facebook - Essay Example The case study described clearly demonstrated the way people buy things have undergone major transition. The consumer buying behaviours have changed dramatically with the advent of the Social commerce. The case study also described about the major players, who contributed significantly in the social commerce business. The strategy followed by ‘Groupon’ that offered heavy discount on different products was a success. The inculcation of global e-commerce led to the evolution of new infrastructure in the business world. Merchandising was believed to be the key difference between old e-commerce and the new method of selling with the help of internet. The Consumer behaviour is believed to be the most important concept of marketing. The organization’s success and failure can be determined with the help of identifying the behaviours and attitude of its consumers towards the company’s product. Today E-commerce is considered to be the most important and significant evolution in the business world. The e-commerce is represented in terms of social commerce, which is believed to be the subset of e-commerce. The main function of social commerce is to facilitate the online business activities without the requirement of any hard shape structure of the business. In the new world of technology and efficiency, social networking is becoming the necessity of life for the internet users. The reason is that the social networking helps the people to interact among one another, anywhere in the world. The concept of social networking was inculcated by yahoo in 2005 (Warner, 2011, p. 439). The major reason for such inculcation was the introduction of the more convenient way of shopping. The concept of social commerce or social networking began with the co-operative movements that led to the creation of â€Å"Peoples Supermarket† movement (Clapperton, 2012). The idea behind the encouragement of â€Å"Peoples Supermarket† movement was to gather the smart entrepreneurs to make money with small start-up capital. With the passage of time, the concept of social commerce began dominating the traditional suppliers of the products. The conglomerate of large entrepreneurs, who entered in the field of social commerce, followed the strategy of ploughing back the profit into the business to offer the online products at more affordable prices (Marsden, 2012). The buyers or consumers of the products, when found the products more easily accessible and even at more affordable prices, their preferences tilted more towards the online products. The successful capturing of consumer market has now made the companies like Facebook & Google the big business giants across the world, with the net worth in billions of dollars (Dobinick, 2012, p.107). The major change that can be observed with the introduction of the concepts such as social media and social commerce, the customers can find the opportunity to directly communicate with the producers of the products. The increase in interaction between the producer and the end consumer has made

Adopting Children by Same Sex Parent Essay Example for Free

Adopting Children by Same Sex Parent Essay People in society say that everyone is equal, they have equal right and freedom. However in case of adopting children, people believe that same sex parents are abnormal to adopting children. Some people in society against them to adopting but there are many same sex couples who are seeking to adopt children. The researcher of homosexuality found that many people still do not reveal their sexual orientation to others. Also, same sex couples are not acceptable from some people in society, according to www. gay-adoption. s. On the contrast, some people believe that same sex adoption is normal and it should be acceptable, according to the right human campaign, a national gay and lesbian advocacy group. Although there are many people against same sex couple to adopting children, same sex couples should be allowed to adopt children because they have equal rights and they can be good parents for a child who lacks love and home. Moreover, children in the United State of America and many countries around the world are waiting for adoption. There are about 520,000 children in welfare, according to the North American Council on Adoptable Children in St. Paul. In addition there have 120,000 are available for adoption, but only 50,000 find permanent homes each year. However, although same sex couples want to adopt children, they are against by heterosexual parents for several reasons including it is unnatural to allowed same sex to be a parent, same sex parents cannot give stability to children and most people believed that only heterosexual parents can be good parents. Firstly, it is unnatural to allow homosexual couples to be a parent. They cannot be good parents. Also, it is not safe for children to live with same sex parents. The best environment for well-being of children is a household with a mother and father because children should have a role model. Adopting by same sex parents can effects to children. For instance, children who is raised in a homosexual household are significantly more likely to be homosexual themselves because they have only one role model in one gender, and get involved in homosexual behavior than children raised in heterosexual households, according to a research in the US (University of Illinois Law Review, 1997). In a study published in the January 1996 issue of Developmental Psychology, London researchers Susan Golombok and Fiona Tasker found that it danger for children that live with same sex parents. However, the sexual orientation of parents has no influence on the sexual orientation of their children and that children of lesbian and same sex parents are not more likely than any other children to grow up to be homosexual, according to Children of gay fathers, Gay and Lesbian Parents (p. 9-57) In addition, children can manage their life to be what they want to be by themselves, however they are raised by homosexual parents but it is not determine that they may have the same behavior as their same sex parents. Moreover, same sex parents can give a responsibility and love to children as well as a heterosexual because they are a human who can teach and give love to a child. As such, it would be wrong to deny same sex parents to adopt children. Also, good parenting is not controlled by sexual orientation, same sex parents can support children and give love to them that show they can be a good parent same as a heterosexual. Secondly, the reason why people believe same sex parents should not be allowed to adopt is stability, so it is important in raising an emotionally and mentally healthy child. The way to children grow up happily may need a role model, so children need a role model of both genders that are male and female in order to develop a properly. If children raise in homosexual household, it influence to children will lacks information of other gender. Children’s primary role models are his or her parents that cause bringing a heterosexual up in a homosexual household can gives children a misrepresented view of sexuality. Homosexual couples simply cannot give the stability that heterosexual parents can give to children. Although most people believe that bringing a heterosexual child up by same sex parents give them a distorted view of sexuality, some babies are born with a predisposition to homosexuality and their upbringing will not affect their sexuality. Almost of homosexuals couples do not want to force children to be homosexual like them. According to Major associations of mental health professionals in the United stated of America, same sex parents are not an unfit and capable as heterosexual parents that they lead children are as happily, healthy and well adjusted as a child who is raised by heterosexual parents. In addition, a studies shows that children raised by single heterosexual parents have more difficulties than children who have same sex parents. Moreover the study shows that children did better in moderation, self-esteem, and had less psychosocial difficulties at home and at school, according to the study of Same-Sex Parents Raise Well-Adjusted Kids. The last reason is widely agreed that only heterosexual parents can be a good parent and they are appropriate to give love, warm, and home to children. Children should have opportunities to thrive in heterosexual parents with a mother and father based family. Heterosexual parents are the best because a child should be raised in loving, well-disciplined homes where children have good role models from their heterosexual parents, also avoiding children grow up to be a homosexual, according to study of gender identity disorder and psychosexual problems in children and adolescents. In addition, avoiding from criminal because homosexuals are more likely to molest children, such as rape them. It is danger to children’s life and causes many troubles to society. However, there are about 500,000 children in welfare nationally in the United state and about 100,000 children need to be adopted. So it is shows thousands of children lacks a permanent home and lacks love from parents, according to the statistics of the study of critical shortage of adoptive and foster parents in the United States. If they are only allowed heterosexual parents in adoption, the child who lives in foster care will lacks family and as in Florida more than 2,000 children in welfare are waiting for adoption according to the state of Florida’s statistics. In addition, there are not enough heterosexual parents who are interested in adoption and foster care. There are some arguments of adopting children by same sex parents because most people feel that only traditional homes with a father and a mother are appropriate and have equal right as heterosexual parents to adopt children, according to issue about facts on gay adoption. However, society is change that leads everyone has equal rights. Therefore same sex parents are human being who should be allowed to adopt children. All people should have equal rights because the child in same sex family appear to be normal, and also same sex parents are not appear to harm child, according to Homosexuality and Family Relations. If homosexual parents can support their children, same sex couples can be as good parents as heterosexual parents. As such, same sex parents are the same as other people who can support children, such as, they give love to children, pay taxes, go to work. It shows that being homosexual is not a mental disorder. In addition, nowadays there are thousands children have no permanent homes, and they are waiting for adoption. It is shows that same sex parents are one of those who help children to have love and home. Therefore, people should not determine only about sexuality of those who want to adopt children. As Mary Bonauto of Boston-based same sex couples Avocates and defenders said that, â€Å" Sexual orientation is not the issue, ability of parent is issue. †

Middle Range Theory Essay Example for Free

Middle Range Theory Essay Bank of America is the largest US bank founded in 1904, it has expanded through several acquisitions. By the end of 2009, Bank of America was the market leader serving 82% of the US population and over 53 million customers. They are positioned as number one in online and mobile banking. Their mobile banking services were launched in 2007 and have gained 4 million customers in less than three years. Acquisitions made by Bank of America prior to the financial crisis caused a very strong drop in their stock price. Customers: In 2009, 10 million customers used mobile banking and this is expected to grow to 37 million by 2014. Customers that use mobile banking are not the same as online customers. Customers that use mobile banking represent a different segment of the market that other banking customers. Security issues, a perceived low value and expense, were the primary reasons that customers did not switch to mobile banking. Potential customers were reluctant to try a new banking service that are represented an extra cost and they were also afraid of losing control of their finances. Debit cardholders were the most active users. It was convenient for them because they could check their account at any time. Customers that used this service changed their usual banking channels and as a result -the bank had a higher retention for these users of online services. Competition/Competitors: Bank of Americas main competitors were: Bank of New York Mellon, JP Morgan Chase ; Co. , Wells Fargo ; Co. , Citigroup, and PNC Financial Services. These competitors also used mobile banking to ensure good service for their customers. They used SMS, customized web browsers and apps, depending on the bank and the customers they served. Citibank and Wells Fargo had different applications customized for their target groups. General Context Considering that the banking industry is fragmented, with thousands of banks offering retail and wholesale banking services; ten of the largest banks hold 46. 4% of total deposits, Bank of America being the largest one. The mortgage crisis of 2009 led to a deep recession and spilled over into a financial crisis that affected the retail banking business. Banks started waving fees and offering additional benefits in order to capture and retain customers. Mobile banking was introduced in the US in 2007 which added costs to each transaction. However, these costs were lower than call centers and interactive voice response costs. Bank of America had three options: mobile messaging (mobile stream modification without any software installation), mobile Internet (wireless application protocol), and mobile applications. Mobile applications in particular were more sophisticated and costly. Smartphone use was estimated to grow to 46% by 2014. Development Dilemma: Bank of America has two options to handle the future of mobile banking: 1) Build new and various applications to target different customers a) Pros: i) Customers want customization in the products; this will increase retention and satisfaction. ii) Marketing strategies can be segmented into different types of clients. This increases efficiency and reduces costs. iii) Superior brand and innovation perception. a) Cons i) Cost of application creation will increase due to the different areas and type of customers at Bank of America ii) Any changes in the bank services will have to be applied to all apps. Some customers will have to download and use various apps at the same time 2) Refuse to add complexity to the current application a) Pros: i) No extra costs on building a new application ii) Customers that don? t like technology or doubt about security issues wont be affected b) Cons: i) Other banks offer better mobile apps and this will increase their competitive advantage ii) Customer satisfaction will suffer if the app is not updated and does not fulfill their needs. iii) Transactions will still be done through ATMs, Call centers and IVR, which are 4 to 11 times more costly. Opportunities: Since Bank of America is one of the largest financial institutions in United States that has millions of customers; online banking is an important feature that offers to ease transactions and provides access to billing statements. However, because of the multitude of services banks offer it is overly-complicated to provide all items in one bundle. Because of this complexity (to add all the banking features in one app for mobile banking) Bank of America should target tablet-users to provide all the banking features with different applications. For example Bank of America can provide tools like market reports for savvy investors or savings programs for households (where it is easier to keep track of expenses. ) Tablets are relatively easier to use than mobile phones. Targeting such a market at an early stage can broaden the spectrum in which Bank of America operates its mobile banking. This opportunity which targets future markets as computers are being replaced by tablets should not be forgone. Ease of access and use for customers with multiple Bank of America services, easier tracking of frauds or errors. ) Bank of America customers will be able to access a large array of services online. c) For some high-end apps a nominal fee may be charged to cover some of the technology budget. 2) Cons a) Customer information may be at risk as it is insecure to access sensitive information online for which Bank of America will have to maintain high privacy, increasing cost. b) Some of the features may still be complex and require customer support hotline. c) Customers may act on unintended transactions involving significant funds. Recommendations: Bank of America needs to improve the complexity to the current application. After analyzing the options and the opportunity, we think that Bank of America has to differentiate themselves from their competitors while offering a great service to their clients, we would recommend to increase the functionality of the mobile app. This change will bring extra benefits to the different type of clients in a single download. The company will also cut costs in the type of transactions made by the clients. The continuous growth of the mobile market especially the Smartphone use is another aspect of the recommendation. Having a mobile has become a commodity for the population. The new generation will get so accustomed to this technology that they will be able to deal with any app complexity without any problem. Bank of America has to think of its future customers, not only the current mobile technology adaptors. 1) Pros: a) Having a better application will differentiate the bank compared to their competitors b) Customers will have overall services in a single application. Mobile payment services would be added to the app and will attract and benefit many customers. d) Transaction costs will become lower as the % of Smartphone users grows (46% for year 2014). 2) Cons: a) Added complexity will discourage some customers to use the application b) Speed of the application may suffer if the customer has a bad connection or has too many applications downloaded in their mobile. c) The cost of developing a more complex application is larger and may require more expertise and training for employees and customers as well.

Global Division Of Labour Sociology Essay

Global Division Of Labour Sociology Essay The GDL is defined as the division of socially necessary activities, including productive and reproductive tasks, on an international level. Classically, this would see the specialisation of countries in the production of particular types of products. Few inclusive analyses of the GDL have been offered, as differing opinions exist in relation to the GDL. According to classical theorists such as Adam Smith, division of labour has allowed for an increase in production and has allowed industrious nations to experience universal opulence (Smith, 1776: book 1); specialisation, for Adam Smith, is the key to productivity and substantial development. Karl Marx, who focused on changes into the modern times, viewed capitalism as a system of production that contrasted previous economic orders in history (Giddens, 1993: 708); capitalism would advance with the intensification of the division of labour. Émile Durkheim, who concentrated on the social implications of the division of labour, concluded that new forms of social cohesion form resulting from advances in the division of labour (Giddens, 1993: 707). Theories of this GDL have altered over the years. The classical division of labour saw two domains of production linked by one-way trade in raw material and factory-made products, respectively; the metropolitan countries were countries with the most factories, with the colonial countries having less. This classical international division of labour continued in the postcolonial period, with Northern hemisphere countries still dominating as the worlds industrial hubs; Southern hemisphere countries predominantly engaged in primary sector production. Furthermore, the classical theory persisted in the form of the modernisation theory, which suggests, that uneven world development can be linked to the advance of industrial societies overtaking traditional societies (Macionis Plummer, 2012: 306) industrial societies being northern countries, and traditional societies being those in the south. The main differences between these countries include their cultural identity, where northern countries focus on individualism, and southern countries on community and family. As long as traditional culture stays strong, the classical division will remain and modernisation will remain a struggle to achieve. Carefully related to the modernisation theory is the world systems theory, which revolves around a clear division concerning the core and periphery. It is because of this belief that there is only a single world that is connected by a complex network of economic exchange relationships (Macionis Plummer, 2012: 306), that some believe is an unequal international division of labour (Macionis Plummer, 2012: 306). Immanuel Wallerstein further described this phenomenon as a system encompassing of three spheres, namely the core, periphery and semi-periphery. Based on the logic of capitalism, the system promotes unevenness, absorbed with wealth and power in the core, leaving the periphery facing poverty and exclusion (Macionis Plummer, 2012: 306). As a result of unexpected development in some peripheral regions in the 1970s, the classical international division of labour was altered to the emerging New International Division of Labour (NIDL). It was because of falling profitability that resulted in the relocation of some manufacturing processes to the peripheral countries from the core. This was a reaction to the rapid industrialization of East Asia and other newly industrialised countries (NICs) and to the partial deindustrialisation of the old heartlands of capitalist production (Cohen Kennedy, 2007: 197). This global industrial shift did occur due to the supply of labour in the periphery, and the low-cost labour-intensive manufacturing processes. The global division of labour, although focused on economic issues, did also have its hand in social issues, initiating advantages and disadvantages in both areas of society. It was Durkheim who concluded that the increasing division of labour allowed for an increase in independence; it is here where Durkheim would link this view with his study of anomie the feeling of aimlessness provoked by certain social conditions (Giddens, 1993: 707). In an ever-growing economic world, it becomes clear that societies do not grow socially as they do economically. As industry is one of the most globalised manufacturing sectors (Giddens, 1993: 546), one could say that it has a more far-reaching effect than any other in terms of the GDL. It is here, with Transnational Corporations, that one can see the driving force of the division of labour. Tracing back to the Industrial Revolution, for example British East India Company being the first multinational (Robins, 2006: 24), TNCs have been the only winners. Whenever a company exports any sort of capital money, or labour it contributes to the unemployment in the home country, like in the case of the NIDL (Cohen Kennedy, 2007: 197), benefitting only the consumer and the TNCs who abuse cheap labour. These companies do develop infrastructures in peripheral countries, developing a dependence on the core countries by the periphery. Contrastingly it is also possible to move from periphery to core, which was the case for Japan, rising from the periphery to the second position in the core bloc in the 1970s (Cohen Kennedy, 2007: 196). The global division of labour is not only about factories moving, but people as well. This entails people searching for jobs across borders as well as internally in a country. As a result of large labour migrations, friction can occur in the form of xenophobia against a workers culture, or an issue involving trade unions. It is in this case that NIDL, a form of glabalisation, has generated more extreme forms of racism as people try to defend their own national identity (Macionis Plummer, 2012: 164). Globalisation, a result of the GDL, is for many women around the world a concrete process of exploitation (Macionis Plummer, 2012: 514) as there is no known instance of society in which women are more powerful than men (Giddens, 1993: 173). This should not come as a shock to anyone as women remain compelled to work in the sweatshops of the world' (Macionis Plummer, 2012: 513). This is a solid example of just one gender group marginalised by the GDL. It is in peripheral countries where workers are exploited to produce goods for the richer nations, as in Korean enterprises where many Burmese workers work on textile production (Macionis Plummer, 2012: 513). The spread of work between genders across borders are as questionable as the wealth gaps between First and Third World nations. The GDL, as a result of its differing theories and forms, can be described as complex. Smith, Durkheim and Marx had classified it differently as a result of opinions; similarly the process has evolved from its classical form to the NIDL. Furthermore, complexity is seen in a lack of a simple international arrangement as the global workforce is divided, shaped by social and economic factors. The GDL can be socially valuable or destructive as it is inclusive on a world scale yet it functions on the basis of division and inequality. By accessing the winners and losers, one can deduce the contradictions this procedure is known to harvest. (1198)