Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Business Ethics - Essay Example Businesses are created for the main purpose of generating profits. It is an accepted fact that business owner’s or stakeholders have every right to expect profits from organisations they support. In the desire to realise the goals of organisations and satisfy stakeholders, sometimes businesses choose to indulge in or turn a blind eye to corrupt or unethical business practices taking place within their workforce or conducted by their business partners. Business ethics  theories  are often adopted by organisations seeking to curb practices that are deemed as corrupt. They usually have moral principles that organisations can implement to make sure that all the workers operating in the company conform to accepted codes of behaviour (Bartlett 2003).  Business managers can make use of the ethics  theories  that they deem as being most appropriate for the implementation of different ethical strategies. There are several business ethics theories that are used in todayâ€℠¢s business scene. The rights theory in business ethics endeavors to address ethical dilemmas by taking into account the fundamental human rights that all living people are entitled to (Bredeson and Goree 2011). Essentially, every person has the right not to harm another person. For the most part, businesses around the world observe this law. However, there are circumstances where organisations ‘appear to refuse’ to obey this law when they choose to cooperate with corrupt governments. For instance, in the recent past, the global multinational beverage company, Coca-Cola, has faced negative attention due to its continued association with Swaziland’s absolute monarch, King Mswati III. According to the Swaziland Solidarity Network, Coca-Cola contributes to almost 40% of the small southern African’s nation’s GDP. Critics have stated that if the beverage company’s executives pressed King Mswati III to cater to the needs of his citizens instead of accumulating more wives, luxury vehicles, and real estate at the cost of the national economy, Swaziland would begin to recover. In this case, Coca-Cola could be accused of indirectly abusing the rights of Swaziland’s citizens (Clegg, Kornberger and Rhodes 2006). The modern rights business ethics theory is deontological in character. This theory seeks to affirm that there is a particular answer for every ethical problem. The most common structure of deontological theory is that which draws on God’s word for moral obligations (Garriga and Mele 2004). Where the subject of organisational ethics is concerned, this could involve revealing corrupt practices of an organisation due to personal beliefs of the importance of exposing wrong doers. Whistle blowers, however, often endanger their working lives when they reveal information that proves the corruptness of their employers (Weiss 2008). Even though in developed nations like the United States, there are laws such as the Sa rbanes-Oxley Act allows workers to file claims in accusation of corrupt employees, it is still hard for workers to turn against their organisations due to many reasons, the least of which is not the fear that they will be dismissed or ignored (Husted and Salazar 2006). The justice theory of business ethics seeks to affirm that every worker has a basic right to human liberties (Torres 2005). In a way, this is somewhat similar to what is stipulated by the rights theory with the exception that the justice theory mainly deals with the rights of the lowest classes of workers. For instance, in an organisational setting, this means that the workers who do the difficult physical work should be treated with the same respect as the business executives who work out of their big offices (Smith 2007). Many labour unions around the world argue for the implementation of the justice theory in functions such as corporate decision making in modern businesses (Felsher 2005). Utilitarianism, as a busin ess ethics theory, is the polar opposite of the justice theory. This is because it argues for the entire society’

History of Project Development

History of Project Development A project is a temporary endeavor to create a unique product, service or result. The temporary nature of projects creates a defining beginning and end. Project management is the application of knowledge, skills and tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirement. Project is accomplished through appropriate application and integration of different process groups. A project fills an essential need in society. Indeed, projects are the major mode in which change is accomplished. It is the mode in which corporate strategy is implemented, business change is addressed, productive teams and their necessary competencies are dealt with, quality of deliverables, and tracking pre-established metrics for managements decision making, as well as closing out a project and creating lessons learned are performed. Historical Developments on project management Pre 1950 Era The project management is now in its modern form. There has been some form of projects since early civilization. The hard system approach which treated the project as mechanical activity has shown to be flawed. Earlier endeavors were seen as acts of worship, engineering or nation building. And the people controlling the Endeavour saw themselves as members of groups focused on specific calling such as generals, priests and architects. Examples of such endeavors are the Great Pyramids and the construction of the Great Wall of China. Small and large scale projects were undertaken before the 1950. Near the turn of 20th century Fredrick Taylor known as the Father of Scientific Management began his detailed studies in 1856-1915. He applied scientific reasoning to work by showing that labor can be analyzed and improved by focusing on its elementary parts. Another one of the forefathers of project management was Henry Gantt who is best known for creating his self named scheduling diagram, th e Gantt chart. It was a unique idea and innovation at that time. One of its first applications was on the Hoover Dam project which started in 1931. Gantt diagrams are today an important toolkit for the project managers. 1950s Era The nature of project management was evolved during the 1950s. Formal tools and techniques were developed to help managers manage large and complex projects that were uncertain and risky. Early practitioners of project mangers and the associated specialties of planning, scheduling, cost estimating, cost and schedule control formed during the AACE in 1956. In 1957, the chemical manufacturer developed the Critical Path Analysis (CPM) method for predicting, scheduling, and sequencing of activities in logical order. Furthermore, DuPont designed it to address the complex process of shutting down chemical plants for maintenance and then with maintenance completed restarting them. In 1958 the United States Departments US navy special projects developed PERT as a part of planning Ballistic missile development. PERT is a method used for analyzing the tasks involved in completing a project and especially the time needed to complete each task and identifying the minimum time needed to complete the total project. The United States department of defense created the Work Break down Structure Concept as a part of the Polaris mobile submarine launched ballistic missile project. The work breakdown structure remains one of the most effective project management tools. It helps in organizing and defining total scope of the project and as well as represent the work specified in current approved project scope statement. In 1965 The International Project Management Association (IPMA) was founded. It was the world first project management Association. Its vision is to promote project management and lead development of the profession. In 1969 PMI was founded to promote and support project management profession. Beginning in 1981, the Project Management Institute (PMI) took formal steps to accumulate and codify relevant knowledge by initiating the development of what became their Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). The perceived need to do so arose from the PMIs long-term commitment to the professionalization of project management. ` The PMI book was an attempt to document and standardize accepted project information and practices. The first edition was established in 1996 followed second edition in 2000, and third edition in 2004. In 1989 PRINCE method was published by CCTA. Project IN Controlled Environment (PRINCE) became the UK standard for managing all government system projects. 1990 -2008 Era In 1996, PRINCE2 was published by CCTA (Projects IN Controlled Environments) and it is a structured method for managing small and large projects. It is the accepted standard for the UK governments Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) and was revised in1996.As a standard for project management; it is widely used in the IT industry and is finding application in other sectors. In 1986 Theory of Constraints (TOC) was introduced by Dr. Eliyahu M Goldratt in his Novel The Goal. TOC is an overall management philosophy that is geared to help the organization to achieve their goal. The methods and algorithms from TOC went on to form the basis of Critical Chain Project Management. Also the critical chain project method is helpful in resource leveling and it focus is on managing resources that are required to execute the project. In 1998, PMBOK became well recognized by the American National Standard Institute and as well as by Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. In 2006, Total Cost of Management Framework was released by AACE International. It is the process for applying the skills and knowledge of cost of engineering. Up to 2008 PMBOK is the recognized standard for the project management profession. A standard is formal document that has described and established norms, methods and processes and practices. The knowledge contained in this standard evolved from the recognized good practices of project management practitioners who contributed to develop the standard. Present In its 50th year, the profession of ‘modern project management is facing many challenges and opportunities. The boundaries of our technology are merging into a range of other disciplines including communications, general management and corporate governance and arguably everything could be a project. One dimension of the challenges faced by the profession of project management is defined by its success. Almost every organization wants to be seen to be ‘doing projects. Projects are viewed as an important part of their endeavors to remain competitive in rapidly changing world. Project management is now an advanced and specialized branch of management. At this stage, project management emphasizes on the strategic role of projects, especially those processes that the project manager must put in place to deliver the end objective of the project and satisfy the needs of all the projects customers. In this new approach, project managers become project integrators, responsible for integrating the required resources, knowledge, and processes from the projects beginning to end. In particular, the ready availability of technology (especially communications technology) has led to the emergence of virtual teams as a means of running projects. Similarly, there has been considerable development of powerful project planning and software and the computer processing power to support it. Both of these have the potential to change the way that we work in projects. Furthermore role of project manager has significantly changed over the couple of decades. The project manager is the person assigned by the performing organization to achieve the project objectives. He is responsible for monitoring and coordinating activities throughout the organization. As in order to stay alive in the cut throat competition manager needs to be proactive and think strategically. It is the great responsibility of project managers to ensure quality of deliverables of the project. He must look and seek opportunities from the market demand. He must identify the weak links and identify all possible constraints that result in delay of project deliverables. Furthermore project managers must have area specific skills and general management proficiencies that are required for the timely and quality deliverables of the project. Future Challenges The future of project management is predicted to be one that focuses on the skills needed to motivate, direct and lead the people that make up the project team to achieve the projects goal whilst realizing the fact that nothing is certain. The competent project manager will be expecting uncertainty and will ensure his project management systems to provide as much early warning as possible of impending changes so as to give maximum possible time to optimize results and achieve stated objectives. Tools such as the project schedule will need to be predictive and help in pro-active decision making rather than reactive. The key skill set of the competent project manager will be identifying and managing stakeholder expectations. The purpose of documents such as project schedules and cost plans will be redefined from ‘control documents to ‘communication documents. The paradox is that by dropping the false expectation of control and certainty, the skilled project managers are lik ely to consistently deliver more predictable and reliable project outcomes. In summary, all the main issues faced by project managers are as follows: Strategy In future, the role of strategy will be more explicitly recognized by organizations, resulting in an increase in the use of devices such as the aggregate project plan. This will reduce conflict within and between organizations. Structure At present it is common for organizations to fail to balance the importance of a project with the structure used for it. As project management asserts itself as of importance within organizations, more appropriate structures will be used. Furthermore, organizations will have to begin working outside the existing structures using hybrids and new structures of their own to achieve their objectives. Systems we will continue to see an increase in the visibility of project systems, with visual control being the driver. There is a challenge for IT providers to produce project management software that will help this process. Staff- the selection of staff for projects needs to be more objectively managed. The tools and techniques are available. Skills the skills of the project manager are likely to increase in value. In many industries, people are given project responsibility because of their technical competence in one or more disciplines. In future, the skill-set of the project manager will become better recognized and valued by organizations. Style/culture this has been used by many organizations as a reason for not making any changes in the way they do their work. It is vital that in future, managers take responsibility for the culture that they create around them and for their own style. Awareness of this should be routine. As for staff selection, there are well-developed tool and techniques for managers to use in this respect (e.g. through cultural audit). Their application will increase with the passage of time. Stakeholders The marketing of achievements to stakeholders is in its relative infancy. This improved management of the information that stakeholders have is an important area in which project managers will need to work alongside their marketing colleagues. One further issue concerns all the above and that is learning. Organizations and individuals in many roles, not just project managers, are generally poor at learning from their own successes and failures, but particularly bad at learning from the successes and failures of others. It is a fact that those organizations that learn the fastest are also the best. The major challenge for project managers is to develop the process (do it better next time) by bringing in the necessary knowledge (both managerial and technical). All the issues from the 7-S given above provide potential areas for improvement. Part of the skill of the project manager is going to be identifying where the major benefits will be gained and the changes that will be needed to realize them. This will require a very wide knowledge of both theoretical and practical aspects of project management.

Revelations in the Dark :: Death War Writing Literature Papers

Revelations in the Dark Growing up in the late 20th century has separated me from feelings of fear and woe, which are closely tied together with war. In my lifetime, the United States has come closest to an extended conflict of the same caliber as World War II on only two occasions. These occasions would, of course, be the Persian Gulf War and the September 11th attacks. Knowing this, it is obvious that I won't be able to fully express how one feels during times of extended conflict. Times where death seems imminent and victory far away are all but unknown to me. It is safe to say that I grew up in a relatively peaceful time, though what I do know of war is far too dark. War is a frenzy of pain that no one should ever have to face. Through history lessons, historically accurate movies/documentaries, and what I've witnessed from the conflicts in my time have taught me a great deal about what war really is. However, only from those directly involved in an extended conflict will ever truly be able to get a gra sp on what war is. Chester Hornback entered into the U.S. military in March of 1945. He was drafted despite being turned down by the Air Force in 1935 for being too short and lightweight. At the time he weighed in at only 128 pounds. And so near the end of World War II Hornback entered into the army and left his wife at home. After basic training he was placed into a tank destroyer unit. At the time it was normal practice for everyone inside a tank to open their mouths while the tank fired so that the pressure on their ears would be relieved. However, during a training exercise Hornback forgot to open his mouth. His ears bled and his hearing was damaged forever. Unfortunately for him, not so much that he would be given a discharge from service. In September of 1945 Hornback arrived in Okinawa, an island off the coast of Japan. He would describe it as a dreadful place. It would rain almost everyday, but it would never get cold. Okinawa is hot much like California only with far more humidity. Native to this weather was a tropical landscape, which covered the small island. Of course, Okinawa wasn't a deserted isle by any means. It was actually a very functioning home to many, but most of their homes were reduced to rubble during the massive fighting between U. Revelations in the Dark :: Death War Writing Literature Papers Revelations in the Dark Growing up in the late 20th century has separated me from feelings of fear and woe, which are closely tied together with war. In my lifetime, the United States has come closest to an extended conflict of the same caliber as World War II on only two occasions. These occasions would, of course, be the Persian Gulf War and the September 11th attacks. Knowing this, it is obvious that I won't be able to fully express how one feels during times of extended conflict. Times where death seems imminent and victory far away are all but unknown to me. It is safe to say that I grew up in a relatively peaceful time, though what I do know of war is far too dark. War is a frenzy of pain that no one should ever have to face. Through history lessons, historically accurate movies/documentaries, and what I've witnessed from the conflicts in my time have taught me a great deal about what war really is. However, only from those directly involved in an extended conflict will ever truly be able to get a gra sp on what war is. Chester Hornback entered into the U.S. military in March of 1945. He was drafted despite being turned down by the Air Force in 1935 for being too short and lightweight. At the time he weighed in at only 128 pounds. And so near the end of World War II Hornback entered into the army and left his wife at home. After basic training he was placed into a tank destroyer unit. At the time it was normal practice for everyone inside a tank to open their mouths while the tank fired so that the pressure on their ears would be relieved. However, during a training exercise Hornback forgot to open his mouth. His ears bled and his hearing was damaged forever. Unfortunately for him, not so much that he would be given a discharge from service. In September of 1945 Hornback arrived in Okinawa, an island off the coast of Japan. He would describe it as a dreadful place. It would rain almost everyday, but it would never get cold. Okinawa is hot much like California only with far more humidity. Native to this weather was a tropical landscape, which covered the small island. Of course, Okinawa wasn't a deserted isle by any means. It was actually a very functioning home to many, but most of their homes were reduced to rubble during the massive fighting between U.

Modern technology today Essay

With the advent of more modern technology today, and the expansion of corporate markets, commercial transactions between industries grow by the day. As commerce, in its basic sense, pertains to the trading of something of economic value, be it goods or services, information, and most of all, money, it is required of an individual to know how to analyze the economic systems that guide every transaction and endeavor related to commerce. As an empowered individual, my enthusiasm and desire for learning the commerce of man is very strong, at the same time I possess the capability to initiate ideas and activities that help in conceptualizing products or services that may be â€Å"traded† for value. To further learn the intricacies of the field of commerce, I have decided to take up the Bachelor of Commerce program. I believe I will be successful in this field. When assessing basic market financial records in newspapers, I easily comprehend economic trends that I often imagine myself as a good financial analyst. Coupled with the fact that I have enough experience in dealing with different kinds of people in economic terms, I know that ill be successful in this field. The rise and fall of economies in every country influence events globally. I was intrigued with this issue that this pushed me to exert effort in realizing my dream of taking up Commerce as a course. At the micro-level, I am attentive in class, like to recite and debate on issues relating to economics and commerce. The pursuit of education is to be encouraged to better understand the world around us and to contribute to its development. In my own opinion, I can serve this purpose by learning things related to commerce, and with the qualities I possess, I can provide additional knowledge to the study of commerce.

Blue Gold Essay

The short documentary, Blue Gold, presented an issue of our planet’s water supply. Our planet is made out of about 70% of water. However, less than 1% of that water is actually drinkable. The issue is that water is becoming scares and due to lack of rain, the precious water begins to dry out. As the water source rapidly declines, the corporations saw that as a chance to make profit. Therefore, we are forced to buy overpriced water. Summary: Blue Gold did a great job representing the issue and how it affects not only third world countries but first world countries as well. Not only does the documentary talk about the water scarcity problem but they also talk about how the big corporations decided to take control of the situation by owning water and selling it. As the documentary stated, â€Å"water is now a valuable asset†. I am very glad that I got the opportunity to watch this film. Blue Gold opened my eyes to a problem that has been in front of my face the entire time. Shocking information that caught my attention while watching the film is the fact that in Mexico, a plastic bottle of water is more expensive than a glass bottle of Coke-Cola! The idea that Coke-Cola, owner of Nestle, basically took over Mexico and their water supply yet citizens of Mexico are extremely deprived of water is disgusting. Big corporations that are sharks like Coke-Cola are the reason why water is scares. These corporations are they taking over and â€Å"owning† water by literally trapping water in large dams! By doing this, water is not getting is full nutrients because water is suppose to go through the cycle of natural water flow through rivers, lakes, oceans, etc. Not only are these corporations taking over water, they are the ones who are also polluting the water. These corporations dump their wastes into a nearby body of water. Like I stated previously, water needs to flow through a water cycle. As the water is partaking its natural cycle, it is carrying the waste created from the corporations and spreading it through out the world. After watching this movie, it is not even shocking that only less than 1% of the world’s 70% of water is drinkable. Water is no longer available for everyone. It is only available for those who are rich enough to afford it. How sad is that? Children in Mexico drink polluted water from rivers because they are not part of the higher social class that can afford a bottle of clean drinking water. These higher classes are taking over the water source and controlling who gets clean water and who doesn’t. Now that I have watched Blue Gold, I can see how water supply is deprecating. As I drive around, I can see swamps dried out from the lack of rain. We must act now to save this planet’s water because the longer we wait, the more polluted water gets which makes more of Earth’s water unusable. We must spread awareness as well as get some ground rules or laws to prevent these big industries from taking over water as well as dumping whatever they desire. Conclusion: Today, I bought myself a Ethos water bottle from Starbucks and it was sold at a whooping price of almost $3! That is more than a dollar more than a cup of coffee! Watching this movie definitely changed my perspective of water and I am more aware of the situation. I would recommend others to watch this short documentary because the more people aware of the situation, the more people that are willing to prevent and fix this situation.