Logistics costs

Logistics cost form an important part of the overall cost structure in any organization. Focus needs to be on renegotiating freight and shipping rates, reduction in overall freight costs and streamlining operations. The following are the measures (ways) that can be used to reduce cost in logistics New carriers: The use of Constant market rate check is a best practice. Usually, logistics managers get into a comfort zone with the existing carriers. The organization should look on other carriers which offers lowest cost of transportation. Market rate check will bring to light other more economical perations.New carriers may be more flexible in their price. Freight costs: There are several options to optimize freight costs. Renegotiation of minimum billing to a minimum for a zone needs to be explored. Product delivery coordination is another useful tool to streamline freight costs. Arrangements with a number of smaller carriers also provide the best rate/best service combination. Interne t offers excellent tools for comparing and optimizing freight costs. Improve shipping and receiving: Streamlining shipping and receiving practices will offer savings. This can happen hrough reduction of long time for receiving.Starting point should be mandating delivery appointments. A flow chart needs to be made of all the operations to determine wasteful processes and combining existing processes. Technology: Internet tools enable substantial reduction in paperwork. Documents are scanned and emailed to customs, ports etc. In case of cross border trade, documents needs to reach at least twenty four hours in advance to avoid delays at the border. Technology also allows coordination of all shipments to optimize loading. This minimize delays in delivery. Managing returns: Reverse logistics is an important element of freight costs.Most companies offer a liberal returns policy. If the customer is not satisfied with the product, it can be returned in a certain period depending on the sel ler. At times, the seller also arranges to pick it up. There should be streamlined processes so as to minimize costs associated with reverse logistics. Audit of freight costs: Use specialized agencies that provide post payment audit of freight bills. These agencies are usually paid on a profit sharing basis. These audits also provide valuable insight nto patterns and other cost reduction opportunities.Deborah Catalano Ruriani explained other ways (measures) of Cost reduction as: 1 . Eliminate supply chain bottlenecks. By periodically reviewing and analyzing their supply chain networks, companies can be able to pinpoint issues and proactively address them. Strategies to reduce or eliminate bottlenecks include addressing vessel schedule planning, ensuring proper documentation and regulatory compliance for imports and exports, and revamping network design. 2. Reduce inventory at the port, manufacturing sites, and warehouses. Companies often stock excess inventory because they lack supp ly chain visibility.To effectively reduce excess inventory, you have to gain reliable information on future orders. Visibility software can help. 3. Cut demurrage and detention tines. While an occasional tine may not seem like much, these costs can add up. Auditing carrier bills and tracking where issues occur in the supply chain can substantially cut fine payments. 4. Identify opportunities to shift modes. Without adequate visibility into logistics operations, a company may not realize that an air shipment could move by sea at a much lower cost. Companies that use technology to evaluate modal options typically see a five- to eight-percent cost reduction. . Use postponement strategies to divert inventory at an international gateway. A successful postponement strategy can dramatically lower forecasting errors as well as improve customer service by reducing out-of-stocks. Companies also can cut transport costs by reducing inventory misallocations and shipping more items in bulk. 6. Us e preferential trade agreements. Companies that take advantage of preferential status can save millions in duties and taxes. A software system that automates the ualification process can save time and effort, as well as improve compliance and data accuracy. . Rebalance supply and fulfillment networks by determining tax- efficient sourcing and distribution strategies. Companies must periodically review their supply chain networks to assess duties and logistics costs, labor costs, regulatory controls, and global political climates. By comparing geographic options, taking into account the costs and regulations of each option, companies can optimize their supply chain. 8. Become a self-filer. Using technology to connect electronically ith brokers lowers entry filing costs and reduces manual entry errors.It also can enable pre-clearance of goods at borders and reduce the number of staff needed internally to manage logistics operations while boosting productivity hence reduce cost. 9. Con trol your procurement process. By implementing a process-based workflow that includes tracking and managing order acceptance, consolidating invoices, creating shipments and generating documents† and by extending that process to trading partners† companies can reduce cycle times, cut supply chain execution costs, and better support compliance initiatives. 10. Implement performance management metrics and tools.Companies need a system, data, and tools to benchmark actions and make informed decisions. Developing a performance management process allows companies to manage service providers and critical cycle times to lower costs and continually improve performance 1 1 . Understand the true costs of sourcing overseas. Calculate freight, duty, brokerage, and inventory carrying costs to support these lengthened supply chains. Also factor in such items as the costs of engineers flying overseas. Once you understand the true total landed cost and total impact to the business 12. Fo cus on eliminating the variability out of transit times.The more variable the transit times are, the more likely it is that the receiving party is using more premium freight, building buffers of inventory, or ordering more often and more quantity than necessary to compensate for the uncertainty. Understanding these dynamics can lead to the conclusion that paying higher freight costs to insure higher variability actually saves your company in total costs. 13. Control your express shipping costs. Typically when a company runs into a supply chain issue, it will have an entire shipment sent on an express/expedited highest cost) service level basis.Panicking often results in higher costs. If the company would Just do a little bit of calculating it can determine the amount of goods that are needed immediately and have that amount sent using express/expedited service level, while the balance ot the shipment can be sent using a standard (lower cost) service level. 14. Informed decision-maki ng. Provide to the decision-makers/ customers of your logistics network the cost of freight for each service level, the reliability of each lane for each service level, and the true cost of carrying inventory so they can make informed decisions.People generally want to be good corporate citizens and will select the less expensive option that still meets their needs CHARACTERISTICS OF COST REDUCTION (HARD COST SAVINGS) The following are the characteristics of â€Å"Hard† cost savings, which is understood as tangible bottom line reductions are: year-on-year saving over the constant volume of purchased product/service, actions that can be traced directly to the Profit and Loss Account, direct reduction of expense or a change in process/technology/policy that directly reduces expenses, process improvements that result in real and measurable ost or asset reductions, examination of existing products or services, contractual agreements, or processes to determine potential changes th at reduce cost, and net reductions in prices paid for items procured when compared to prices in place for the prior 12 months or a change to lower cost alternatives. COST AVOIDANCE (SOFT COST SAVINGS) â€Å"Soft† cost avoidance is much more difficult to define.The following are Suggested definitions, which includes: Cost avoidance is a cost reduction that does not lower the cost of products/services when compared against historical results, but rather inimizes or avoids entirely the negative impact to the bottom line that a price increase would have caused, when there is an increase in output or capacity without increasing resource expenditure, in general, the cost avoidance savings are the amount that would have been spent to handle the increased volume or output, and Cost avoidances include process improvements that do not immediately reduce cost or assets but provide benefits through improved process efficiency, employee productivity, improved customer satisfaction, improv ed competitiveness, over time to mention the few, cost avoidance often becomes cost savings. N. B: Cost avoidance is a cost reduction that results from a spend that is lower than the spend that would have otherwise been required if the cost avoidance exercise had not been undertaken.This accounts for the situations where spend is higher due to higher demand but overall cost per unit is lower, where up-front investments reduce overall spend in one or more categories over a multi-year initiative, and where a process improvement or product replacement resulted in a lower operating cost or cost per unit compared to what the company would have spent had the company not improved the process or replaced the product. To Sum up, if the organization adopts this open definition of cost avoidance, and maintains a document of common examples and their associated metrics, which is updated each time a new type of project is encountered that could result in a cost avoidance, the organization can fu lly quantify the â€Å"hard† and â€Å"soft† savings delivered by the sourcing team to the management team.Measures of Cost Avoidance: Resisting or delaying a supplier's price increase, this is one of the ways of cost avoidance whereby the organization use techniques to resist or delay supplier price increase in avoiding cost. Use of purchase price that is lower than the original quoted price, The organization purchases its requirements at a lower price than what was initially quoted by the supplier so as to avoid cost. Value of additional services at no cost, the firm makes sure it avoid or prevent cost by making sure after sale services are obtained for free for instance installation, free training. Long-term contracts with price-protection provisions,the firm enters into long term contracts with the aim of cost sharing with the supplier. Introduction of a new product or part number requiring a new material purchases and spend is lower.COST REDUCTION CHALLENGES Some of the challenges faced by a company as they seek to assess cost reduction include: Cancellation of net savings due to an increase in the business unit's cost structure, Supply management's role in the cost savings allocation decision, Chronology of supply management's involvement and the need for budget cuts, Visibility, in terms of systems, people, and metrics, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) concept for purchases items/services, Multi-year issues in cost savings, and Creating a proper incentive structure for supply management personnel. TYPES OF COST REDUCTION AND AVOIDANCE The following are types of cost reduction and avoidance that need to be recognized as valid cost savings. This section presents some types of cost reduction and cost avoidance that can contribute significantly to the organization's bottom line.Negotiated Discounts against Material Cost Increases If the products being sourced are primarily made from a commodity whose average market price or index has increased si gnificantly since the last sourcing cycle, and a buyer manages to negotiate a price that increases less than the increase in underlying material costs since the last sourcing event, this is a valid cost avoidance. Substitution If a buyer manages to find another product that performs the same function, or is able to collaborate with a supplier to produce a functionally equivalent specification that is more economical to produce, then the buyer has obtained a cost reduction on behalf of the organization.. Waived Fees This form of cost avoidance is quite self-explanatory.For example, if a supplier normally charges an installation fee for a new piece of equipment, but the buyer is able to negotiate free installation, than this would be an example of cost avoidance of the waived fee variety. Another example would be free training or services. However, this is one example where the cost avoidance is not equal to what the vendor quotes, but what the market average for the service is.. Inve ntory Reduction This occurs when the buyer comes up with a strategy to reduce the inventory that the organization needs to hold at any given time. Since all inventories is associated with a carrying cost, inventory reduction often represents significant cost savings to an organization over time.Inventory can be reduced when a buyer finds a supplier who can handle a snorter lead time or when inventory is turned over to a vendor who pecializes in inventory management (Vendor Managed Inventory). Process Improvement Processes consume overhead, and overhead costs money. Thus, any significant process improvement could represent a significant cost avoidance to an organization. However, unlike the other types of cost avoidance, process improvement cost reductions can be a bit tricky to evaluate. The key is to look at the average number of units of product or work produced per day, week, or month prior to the improvement and the number of units of product or work produced per day, week, or m onth after the improvement and calculate a percentage improvement N.B: By doing this, the organization will have clearly defined cost reduction efforts, tied them to savings, defined their relative importance, and defined the share of the credit that will go to supply management in a cross-functional initiative. The organization will also have avoided the problem where the team over concentrates on finding â€Å"hard† dollar savings, which is a serious problem if raw material and energy costs keep rising significantly and the largest savings potential is in the â€Å"soft† savings realized by long- term process and product improvements. Transloading to Maximize Cost Savings By Deborah Catalano Ruriani Tags: Transportation Management Transloading offers a cost-effective way to bring ocean containers inland to distribution centers.By transferring cargo without sorting the contents for shipment to a single destination, transloading services can reduce total landed costs, and† when combined with value-added services such as palletizing and shrink-wrapping† reduce handling at the destination. Jeff McCorstin, senior vice president of air and ocean products for UPS Global Freight Forwarding, offers these tips for maximizing savings with transloading services. 1 . Understand general transloading rules. Transloading offers the greatest cost savings when ocean containers can be consolidated into fewer, larger domestic trailers. The cargo in three 40-foot ocean containers typically fits into two 53-foot domestic trailers. . Ensure overall transportation savings outweigh additional handling costs. Sometimes the savings are negated for destinations located farther east from the U. S. West Coast discharge port. 3. Consider palletizing cargo during transloading. To best use space in ocean containers, cargo is rarely palletized at the point of origin. Palletize during the ransloading process to improve distribution center (DC) handling efficiency. 4. Factor transloading into transit time estimates. Unloading, handling, and reloading ocean container cargo near the port of discharge takes time. Allow up to three days to ensure customer delivery commitments are met. 5.Ensure your cargo fits the bill. Transload operators charge additional fees for containers with more than a certain number of cartons. The additional costs for containers with several thousand small cartons could offset any transportation savings. 6. Ensure handling flexibility by making Customs entry at the port. While it is a common practice to clear ocean containers at their tinal inland destinations, it is better to make entry at the port ot discharge. This ensures maximum flexibility in handling cargo, and eliminates the need to move the shipment in-bond, saving additional costs. 7. Increase supply chain efficiency with merge-in-transit offerings.This type of deconsolidation allows importers to combine products arriving in containers from different origins/shipp ers by transloading near the port of arrival into domestic trailers. And if importers source from domestic suppliers†who may also have product arriving via container†this argo can be merged in transit to arrive together at the designated DC. 8. Use transloading to expedite delivery to final destination. Transloading near the port of discharge provides the flexibility to bypass DCs and speed delivery to the end customer. The reduced DC handling charges and improved time in transit can help trim supply chain costs. 9. Avoid costly containers.Instead of shipping less-than- containerload, 20-foot, or light-loaded 40-foot containers from multiple overseas vendors to your inland DC, ship fully loaded/optimized containers to a single container freight station near the port of discharge. From there, they can be transloaded, merged in transit with other inbound cargo, and shipped to the final destination using the transport mode that best fits the importer's needs. 10. Set up tra nsloading programs in advance. Having your service provider involved in coordinating with the origin forwarder translates into better service levels and reliability. Flexible Structure Flexible operations are preplanned contingency strategies to prevent logistical failures.A typical emergency occurs when an assigned shipping facility is out of stock or for some other reason cannot complete a customer's order. For example, a warehouse may be out of an item with no replenishment inventory scheduled to arrive until after the customer's specified order delivery date. To prevent back- ordering or delivery cancellation, a contingency operating policy may assign the total order, or at least those items not available, for shipment from an alternative warehouse. The use of flexible operations is typically based on the importance of meeting the needs of a specific customer or the critical nature of the product being ordered.A flexible logistics capability that has gained popularity as a resul t of mproved communications involves procedures for serving predetermined situations as part of the basic logistical strategy. The flexible logistics rule and decision scenarios specify alternative ways to meet specific service requirements, such as assignment of the order to different shipping facilities or changing methods of delivery. A strategy that utilizes flexible operations is common practice in four different situations. First, the customer designated delivery facility might be near a point of equal logistics cost or equal delivery time from two different logistics facilities. Customers located at such points offer the supplying firm an opportunity to fully utilize available inventory and logistical capacity.Orders can be serviced from the facility having the best inventory position or the available transportation capacity to achieve timely delivery. This form of flexible logistics offers a way to fully utilize system capacity by balancing workloads between facilities while protecting customer service commitments. The benefit is operating efficiency, which is transparent to the customer, who experiences no service deterioration. A second situation Justitying lexible distribution is when the size of a customer's order creates an opportunity to improve logistical efficiency if serviced through an alternative channel arrangement. For example, the lowest-total-cost method to provide small shipment delivery may be through a distributor.In contrast, larger shipments may have the lowest total logistical cost when shipped factory direct to customers. Provided that alternative methods of shipment meet customer delivery expectations, total logistical cost may be reduced by implementing flexible policies. A third type of flexible operation may result from a selective inventory stocking strategy. The cost and risk associated with stocking inventory require careful analysis to determine which items and how much to place in each warehouse. With replacement parts, a common strategy mentioned earlier is to stock selected items in specific warehouses with the total line being stocked only at a central facility.In general-merchandise retailing, a store or distribution center located in a small community may stock only a limited or restricted version of a firm's total line. When customers desire nonstocked items, orders must be satisfied from an alternative facility. The term master facilities is ften used to describe inventory strategies that designate larger facilities for backup support of smaller restricted facilities. Selective inventory stocking by echelon level is a common strategy used to reduce overall inventory risk. The reasons for selective stocking range from low product profit contribution to high per-unit cost of inventory maintenance.One way to operationalize a fine-line inventory classification strategy is to differentiate stocking policy by system echelons. In situations following such classified stocking strategies, it may be ne cessary to obtain advanced customer approval for split-order delivery. However, in some situations firms that use differentiated inventory stocking strategies are able to consolidate customer orders while intransit for same-time delivery, thereby making the arrangement customer transparent. The fourth type of flexible operations results from agreements between firms to move selected shipments outside the established echeloned or direct logistics arrangements.Two special arrangements gaining popularity are flow through cross-docks and service supplier arrangements. A cross-dock operation involves shipments from multiple suppliers arriving at a designated time at the handling facility. Inventory receipts are sorted by destination across the dock and consolidated into outbound trailers for direct delivery. Cross-dock operations are growing in popularity in the retail industry for building store-specific assortments and are common methods of continuous inventory replenishment for mass m erchants. Cross-docking of merchandise direct from manufacture to a customer's retail store eliminates the work and cost associated with utilizing distribution warehouses.Another form of flexible operations is to use integrated service providers to consolidate products for delivery. This is similar to consolidation for ransportation purposes discussed in the previous section of this chapter. However, as a form of flexible logistics, specialists are used to avoid storage and handling of slow-moving products through the mainstream of the echeloned logistics structure. Such service providers can also provide important value-added services. For example, Starbucks Coffee Company has a long standing relationship with OHL, a logistics service provider. Starbucks has approximately 17,000 company-owned and licensed retail outlets.O L provides logistical support to Starbucks by ottering the typical range of 3PL services plus technology support. This operating relationship has existed for over a decade. Figure 2. 5 introduces flexibility to the logistical operating structures previously illustrated. A prerequisite to effective flexible operations is the use of information technology to monitor inventory status throughout the logistical network and provide the capability to rapidly switch methods for servicing customer orders. The use of flexible operations in emergency situations has a well-established track record. The overall improvement in information technology is resulting in flexible operations becoming an increasingly important part of basic logistics trategy.Cutting Costs From Your Logistics Budget Tags: Supply Chain Management If you want to reduce logistics costs, you have to take the time to review your processes. Nathan Pieri, senior vice president of marketing and product management for Rutherford, N. J. -based Management Dynamics, offers these tips for trimming your logistics budget. 10 tips for reducing supply chain logistics costs Aug. 9, 2005 Berme Hart EMAIL Tweet Comments O As companies continue to manufacture and source materials from overseas, controlling costs remains a top priority for those involved in international trade. One ey factor that should be monitored more closely is logistics management, which covers all activities relating to the procurement, transport, transshipment and storage of goods.Depending on the industry sector, supply chain logistics costs account from 5% to 50% of a product's total landed cost. Some issues effecting logistics costs: Fuel prices remain high and ports continue to experience delays, resulting in higher transportation fees. Increasingly complex international trade laws and security measurements threaten to lengthen delivery times and increase warehousing costs. According to a recent report by TechnologyEvaluation. om, a typical air-freight shipment takes eight to twelve days. Of this, the cargo is en route only 5% of the time. The rest is spent sitting in warehouses waiting for the require d documents and compliance checks.Following are 10 Tips on Reducing Supply Chain Logistics Costs: 1 that domestic buy may look a lot better. Sourcing from Ohio to your U. S. plant, distribution center or customer may, in the long run, be more cost effective than sourcing from China. Taritt engineering. Strategically source and manutacture products to take advantage of classification duty rates and eligibility for special trade programs such s NAFTA. 4. Consolidate. If you have multiple suppliers in one country, consolidate their goods into one shipment. In addition, if you always have LCL (less than container load) shipments out of one country, try to find another LCL importer of goods from that country.You may be able to partner and consolidate to a more cost-effective FCL (full container load) shipment. 5.. 6. Sometimes insurance doesn't pay. Often when a company has a shipment of premium goods they tend to use the Carrier's Insurance. Carriers Insurance is very expensive. If the company is self insured, which most companies are, they should heck their insurance policy to see if it covers shipment of goods. If it does, then they do not need to add the extra cost of Carrier's Insurance. 7. Automate compliance processes. Companies that implement software solutions to automate trade compliance are able to speed the cycle times associated with tasks being performed manually, such as document preparation, and eliminate the associated errors.Automated compliance procedures also bring fewer delays at border crossings, resulting in on-time delivery, adequate inventory levels, increased customer satisfaction, and the avoidance of fines. 8.. 9. Planes, trains and automobiles. Which is cheapest? In general, rail is more cost- effective than trucking or air. Water is cheaper than air shipment. No matter the mode of delivery, always try to get three quotes for movements. 10. Be aware of non-tariff trade barriers. Companies need to be more aware of the increasing level of non-tariff trade barriers that are in force to reduce sweat shop labor and support human rights and animal welfare issues. These restrictions can bring importers increased liability and compliance costs.

Ethical egoism Essay

Ethical egoism is a doctrine under normative ethics which prescribes a moral agent to act in accordance to one’s own self-interest. It states that what one’s self-interest may in one way or another proves to have harmful, favorable or neutral effects on other people. One should also take note of the fact that ethical egoism is not synonymous to rational egoism or individualism. Rational egoism is a form of egoism who claims that it is rational to act in accordance to one’s self-interest. The difference could mostly be seen on the fact that rational egoism does not claim that egoism is ethically imperative. There are people who criticize ethical egoism on the basis that the latter does not take other’s well-beings into consideration. There are even claims that ethical egoism makes a moral agent abstain from taking the well-being of other people into consideration when determining when an action is morally right or not. One should not fall into this line of thinking since ethical egoism does not necessitates that a person abstain from taking other people’s well-being into consideration. As a matter of fact ethical egoism allows a person to take other’s interest into consideration as long as the action a moral agent does is an efficient means in terms of gratifying the self-interest of the moral agent. A great contrast could be seen with ethical egoism and altruism especially since altruism believes in the notion that each individual has a responsibility or obligation of helping others obtain their self-interests. There are three categories under ethical egoism namely, personal ethical egoism, individual ethical egoism and lastly, universal ethical egoism. Personal ethical egoism is the notion that only â€Å"I† should act in accordance to the motive of my own self-interest. However, personal ethical egoism did not state in accordance to what motive should other act to. It is on this basis (it does not generalize or emphasize what others would do) that personal ethical egoism is not considered as an ethical theory. Another factor why such a notion would not be universalizable or could not be considered an ethical theory is the fact that a person could not really suggest others to follow personal ethical egoism since it would go against one’s own self-interest. Individual ethical egoism on the other hand is prescriptive in that it necessitates others in accordance or in pursuance of my own self-interest. However, this belief is also problematic and thus like personal ethical egoism, this belief is also not universalizable. Thus in a way this belief is almost synonymous to solipsism in that the said notion is not justifiable since it does not apply to only one person. This notion is also inconsistent in that it is only applicable to just one person. The problem arises from the fact that no one would really want to serve the self-interest of only one individual. The third category under ethical egoism is universal ethical egoism. The universal ethical egoism is the least problematic of the three since it is a doctrine which pursues the belief that everyone should follow pursue only their own self-interests. However, a problem can still be relocated in this ethical egoism particularly that of the Socratic Paradox which claims that since all human beings have no knowledge of the world there is no way of my knowing what would really serve my own self-interest. Thus it is hard to determine what would really be one’s self-interest. For one what is pleasurable for me may go against my own self-interest such as smoking or drinking. Thus, in a way the last ethical doctrine is still problematic in its own way. Personally I do not advocate nor do I believe in the doctrine of ethical egoism. First and foremost an ethical theory does not have any room for inconsistency and for incompleteness. And in this regard I do not believe that ethical egoism is itself both complete and consistent. First and foremost I believe that the said theory is contradictory in that it contradicts itself in most part. What made me say so is the fact that it permits certain acts to be assessed as both right and wrong in the same time. Therefore, ethical egoism is inconsistent. To further elaborate my point I would make use of a hypothetical example. Say Dianne and Donna joined a beauty contest. According to ethical egoism it is only right and proper for Dianne to praise herself since it pursue her own self interest. On this basis we could say that Dianne’s action is morally right. However, it is not right or proper for Donna to praise Dianne since it would clearly go against the doctrine of ethical egoism since it does not promote Donna’s self-interest. In this regard we could say that praising Dianne is morally wrong for ethical egoism if it is to be done by Donna. Thus this proves to be inconsistent in that while it is right for Dianne to praise herself it is not right for Donna to praise Dianne which makes the act both morally right and wrong. However, one may argue that there is no inconsistency here since the act was done by different people. Thus I will move on to my next set of objections. Let’s say in the same beauty contest I happened to be a judge. Both Dianne and Donna have equal amount of beauty, talent and the like. Clearly whoever wins in the contest would be of no consequence for me since it would not serve my own interest in this regard who am I to choose between Dianne and Donna? Thus, in this instance one could clearly see that if a person has got to be impartial in the instance that a certain things would not serve one’s own self-interest then that particular person would be lost since ethical egoism only tells us to pursue our own interest without giving any advice on what we are supposed to do when a situation calls for our impartiality. Thus in this regard it would suffice for me to say that the theory of ethical egoism in itself is incomplete since when a conflict between the interests of two egoists comes into question, ethical egoism gives no advice on how to solve such problem. It is true that I am no big fan of ethical egoism, but to give ethical egoism justice I admit to the fact that ethical egoism does not necessarily mean that in acting in accordance to my own self-interest it necessitates that I cause harm to other’s self-interest. Another important factor in regards of ethical egoism is the fact that by being an egoist or by acting in my own self-interest I could in a way be also promoting the interest of other people. To further my point let us say that I am born a compassionate person and it always bring me happiness to help other people. In this regard by promoting my own self-interest or by helping others since it makes me happy, I am also helping other people in the process. Another factor is the fact that this world in a way is a give and take world. In order to pursue my own interest I must also take into account other’s interest. Say for example if I want to live a peaceful life I must see to it that I do not harm other people in the process. However, in spite of all the goods one may find in the idea of ethical egoism I still stand firm to my belief against ethical egoism. First and foremost I believe that ethical egoism is a doctrine which is not complete. Secondly, I believe that those people who adhere to ethical egoism do so in expense of restating what one means by self-interest to the point that when one says self-interest they also incorporate other’s interest into the word. Basically, this could clearly be seen on the example I have mentioned above about not harming other people or not putting their interests at stake to insure the safeness of my own self-interests. Another thing I need to point out is that the notion of self-interest is vague and if people go on pursuing their own self-interest then the world would surely be in chaos. Take the issue of slavery as an example. Let us say that it is in my own self-interest to own slaves and to work them to death with no pay whatsoever. By doing this there are those who would condemn my action and the others like me in order to make sure that slavery would no longer take place ever again. And since there are others like me who believes that slavery pursues our own self-interest then surely we would not give way to the abortion of slavery and thus this could lead to a war. Such is one of the troubles one may face if everyone adheres to the belief that the pursuance of one’s self-interest is the best form of ethical theory. There are also other ethical theories such as Kantianism, utilitarianism, Christian ethics and the like which are at odds with ethical egoism. The ethical theories I have mentioned earlier is in contrast with ethical egoism in that they believe that a moral agent is necessitated by the need to take other’s well-being into consideration in determining the moral worth of an action. Utilitarianism for one would see the need for major sacrifice if it means greater benefits for other people. However, believers of ethical egoism may argue that I could also do moral duties to other such as cooperating with other people in order to pursue my own self-interest. However, I say that such a thing would still not be sufficient to justify the position of ethical egoism since if others refuse to cooperate with egoists then there would be no longer any basis on why egoists would still cooperate with other people. His is the main difference between ethical egoism and other ethical theories. Ethical egoism is conditional in its own way whereas Kantianism, Utilitarianism and the like leaves no room for sets of conditions. Another factor I do not like about ethical egoism is the fact that it would always choose the thing which would benefit one’s self the most. Say for example I have to choose between helping those who are experiencing famine in Africa or helping our neighborhood conduct the most extravagant feast in the year then since helping my neighborhood would cause me fame and the like, ethical egoism would require me to choose that which would benefit me most and in this regard it would be helping the neighborhood. Thus this example would prove that ethical egoism ranks one’s interest more than the interest of the majority of people and in this way it is a little bit of on the selfish side even though I must admit that ethical egoism is not wrong in every cases there are still things within the boundary of ethical egoism which I could not bring myself to accept. If egoists makes sacrifice they are only short-term sacrifices. In this regard some egoists may claim that they could convert in other ethical principle if a situation calls for it especially if it would take the cooperation argument a little further. However such conversion would be dangerous. Take this hypothetical example into consideration. Let us say that the world is in big trouble and the only one who could save the world is a blind man. However, that man could not save the world without the sense of sight and the only one who could give him eyesight is me. In this regard it is dangerous for me as an egoist to convert because this conversion would necessitate me to offer my eyesight which would not be serving my personal-interests at all. This is basically some of the reasons why I could not really bring myself to accept ethical egoism. Thus, to summarize, ethical egoism is the belief that a moral agent must pursue his or her own moral interest. However the effect of one’s self-interests to other may vary from one incident to another. It could be detrimental to some people as well as it could be beneficial and neutral in its effect to some. Ethical egoism in itself is not complete since it does not provide a solution when interests of two egoists came into clash. It also does not give an advice on what a neutral bystander would do if he is asked to choose between the two egoists. Ethical egoism is also ineffective in achieving the common good since it always put one’s self interest before the interest for other and although cooperation theorist may believe that they could solve this particular problem of an egoists I believe that it is still not the case especially since the only way for egoists to do it is by conversion which could in most way complicate the matter more. It is on this basis that I do not adhere to the principles of ethical egoism and I guess it suffice for me to say that ethical egoism is lacking in many ways as compared to other ethical theories. Reference: Shaver, Robert. â€Å"Egoism. † Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2002.

Reflection Journal – Identity

reReflective Practice Journal Identity GNED 500 – 120 Brandon Tito – 300637791 Professor Selom Chapman-Nyaho Identity â€Å"The aspects of individuals and groups that include: language; ethnicity; gender; experience of migration/immigration; social class; political affiliations; family influences; age; sexual orientation; geographic origin; experience or absence of experience with discrimination† (GNED 500, p. 73). Our identity is the key that grants us a representation of who we are as citizens and what we stand for. Personal identification is what separates and differentiates us apart from other individuals in our world.Identity is strongly significant in our lives because the development of personal attributes and contributions is what makes us unique and superior in our own way. Our perspectives and points on how we view the world are also based on our personal identities and how we establish that image. A. How did it affect your thinking? While acquiring an adequate understanding about personal identities, it is important to build and create a â€Å"personal brand† for one’s self in which can be recognized and looked upon by others in a positive manner. B. Has it changed your perspective on a particular issue?How? Yes, having a clear understanding of our personal identities has changed my perspective on a particular issue. As emphasized on a familiar quote, â€Å"become a leader, not a follower†, this quote indicates a great representation of personal identities as well as personal branding. An individual should be superior to their own brand as well as justifying and claiming ownership of their identity and not mirroring a representation of someone else’s identity and brand. C. Has it raised any new questions? Most definitely, the term â€Å"identity† has had many questions raised in previous times.Many of these questions were raised from many different perspectives such as political, scientific, gen etic, academic, religious, and symbolic structures. All of which are social structures in our society. D. Will anything you learned change your actions? If so, how? Of course, with the knowledge acquired about the many different social structures and ideologies in our society, I am more observant and aware of misinterpretations that are presented in our society. It’s important to understand that social structures, ideologies, and the environment we surround ourselves in play a substantial role in shaping our personal identities and brands.Course Feedback Overall, my duration in partaking in the GNED-500 course has been a great academic experience for me. It’s a great opportunity to have a better understanding of the social structures and issues/concerns that shape our society today. With also being given the opportunity to establish a more superior personal brand towards myself†¦ Knowledge and understanding is power! I recommend this course to everybody, this is a great decision to enhance your personal knowledge on current and previous events that help build and sustain our society.

Hate running the mile in PE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hate running the mile in PE - Essay Example Secondly, nursing is a profession goes beyond the normal duration while studying. For my case, I intend to complete the two years full time course in nursing practice for admission into the nursing practitioner program, thereafter, continue with my study to for one year in order to obtain a certificate. Eventually, I will undertake a doctorate program at the University of Ohio. Thirdly, Nursing is a vocation and emanates from the heart. I do not deny the fact that I have had an interest in nursing, but I am not quite certain if this is my call2. Most people fail to pursue their career goals because of finances. In every college of nursing, admission fee is quite, and this discourages most students to pursue the course. I am from a humble background, and my parents may fail to raise the required amount. They struggled to pay my schools fees in my elementary school; therefore, it may challenge them to obtain an enormous amount of money to pay my school fees. For this reason, I will not sit down and watch them struggle; I will play a role in raising my school fees. I will have to apply for student’s loans from the government, charity organizations and other agencies that assist students achieve their purposes in life. Together with that, I will start-up a small business with little capital and save the profits until I get an opportunity to join the college of nursing3. The other thing that curtails accomplishment of careers is commitment. Nursing profession is a challenging field and requires dedication. Most of the nursing courses range from 6- 10 years for complete proficiency. This may be a lot of time while studying considering other factors in life other than studying. Life may present pressures and challenges that may block my achievement, but I have to soldier on and accomplish my goal. The next thing that may challenge my accomplishment is career conflict. In my life, I have desired to undertake either

Terminating an Unplanned Pregnancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Terminating an Unplanned Pregnancy - Essay Example This will allow midwifery students to understand the significance of undertaking legal and ethical grounds as a base of the decision-making process. This paper shall present the case chosen along with in-depth analysis of the case. The analysis will be followed by the legal and ethical considerations that are applicable to health care services in England and Wales. Also, there will be the inclusion of other cases which is relevant to the laws and a chosen case of termination of pregnancy. II. Case Presentation: Sara presented at the antenatal clinic, pregnant at 22 weeks gestation with her fifth baby. Two days earlier during a scan performed to investigate irregular menstruation Sara had been informed that she was pregnant. The ultrasound scan suggested 21+ weeks, a singleton with no abnormalities detected. The midwife working in the community had provided maternity care throughout Sara’s four previous pregnancies, all of which had been straightforward births resulting in four healthy children. Sara has identified to the midwife that this pregnancy is unplanned and unwanted by both her and her husband. She feels that it would put a strain on her and her family, physically, emotionally and financially. Sara discloses that she is going to terminate this pregnancy. III. Analysis: Considering the case of Sara opting for the termination of pregnancy, there are two main areas to be taken into account by the health practitioners. These areas are rather in terms of legal and ethical grounds. With due consideration to the case of Sara, it can be said that her case has both moral and legal grounds of analysis. The distinction can also be noted in her case in terms of ethical and legal grounds mainly because of the debated issue of abortion (Beauchamp and Childress 2008). The analysis of the case of Sara is being conducted under the legal statuses of abortion and similar cases are also important to the base of analysis. Following are the two distinctive grounds tha t need to be focused by midwife responsible for the termination of pregnancy case of Sara. The case of Sara should not be considered as an overly debated case because of the adherence to Abortion Act. However, there is a significant difference between the legal and ethical grounds of the case (Harris 2002). IV. Legal Considerations: Legal Status for Abortion: The appeal of Sara for terminating the unplanned pregnancy can be taken into consideration because as per the abortion principle of England and Wales, it is as per the law. The principles as governed by the Abortion Act 1967 defenses the appeal for pregnancy termination of Sara because it states that abortion can be done if the pregnancy has not passed it's twenty-four weeks. The principles have further been amended by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act of 1990 that if the pregnancy is probable to cause injury to the physical or mental health of the woman or any existing children of her family then medical practitioners must terminate the fetus (Pattinson 2009). It should be noted that cases like Sara being noted in other states of UK are not being consulted as in Wales and England because the abortion act in Ireland is being addressed by the Offences Against The Person Act 1861.

Biotechnology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Biotechnology - Essay Example Chlorophyll absorbs all wavelengths of the visible light except the green light, which is reflected out. The chlorophyll is a complex molecule. Being complex it ahs undergone a lot of modifications and as a result chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, xanthophylls and carotenoids are found in the leaf. Carotenoids and chlorophyll b absorbs some of the green wavelength energy. Chlorophyll a receives it energy from the blue-violet and reddish orange wavelength. As the intensity of the light increases, the increase of the photosynthesis is observed. (Giacometti and Giacometti, 2009). The present study was performed to determine the effect of the color on the photosynthesis rate, the rate of photosynthesis, the rate of oxygen uptake was determined for this experiment. Chromatography is the process of separation of the solutes. Paper chromatography is the process of separating the pigments that are present in the chlorophyll into fractions based on their molecular weight. The porosity of the paper helps in the separation using petroleum ether –acetone solvent. The plant emits oxygen when the photosynthesis reactions take place. If the intensity of the light is higher, then the rate of photosynthesis is higher. At the same time if the light is kept closer to the leaf, it should also increases the photosynthesis rate because the intensity is directly proportional to the photosynthesis. The action spectra have color of various wavelengths shorter to longer. If the wavelength is small then the intensity of the light should be higher. This indicates that the color with greater intensity will have greater photosynthetic rate. When the red, green , blue light are used as the light source for the photosynthesis reaction, then the light of shorter w avelength should produce maximum intensity , therefore the photosynthesis will be greater. Of the three colors the blue has the shorter wavelength, so it should produce higher photosynthetic rate. Fresh

Marketing A.B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing A.B - Essay Example The information presented in the article simplified the challenges faced by different support functions in the organization when faced with the need to develop functional strategies. The credibility of the authors forming the Berkeley Partnership is verified and closer review of their credentials revealed that they are â€Å"experienced consultants who combine strong strategy and delivery skills with positive and engaging personalities. They provide the support the client needs, whether project management consultancy on the ground for an extended period, help through a critical phase of work or simply advice† (The Berkeley Partnership: About Berkeley 1). Therefore, their advice regarding developing functional strategies are supported by years of experience in the field of consultancy and management. However, one is strongly convinced that the article lacks appropriate credible support from academic sources and real life organizational experiences. Although the focus was primarily on determining the rationale for difficulties in developing functional strategies, readers are actually wanting on information or even on a general overview of how functional departments could be assisted and advised on the techniques and appropriate guidelines of the development of strategies, per se. Overall, this article could be used in terms of determining how to overcome challenges in the development of functional strategies but more effective substantiation needs to be sourced from other credible and authoritative sources. The article proffered issues pertinent to the design of a framework for the evaluation of strategies developed in the organizational setting. As disclosed, the need for evaluation and implementation of corrective action are always crucial and needed except when: â€Å"(1) external and internal factors have not significantly changed and (2) the firm is progressing satisfactorily toward

The investment demand schedule Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The investment demand schedule - Essay Example (Finpipe n.d.) The economic crisis has played a great role on interest rates needed to make an investment demand schedule. This study will review the factors that affect investment demand schedules of financing. 1. Supply and demand of money. What happened during the boom time before the crisis? Before the economic crisis, banks had enough supply of money and people demands for business expansion, housing, cars and credit. Banks gets their funds from depositors who are paid 6% interest rate on their savings, and banks lend this money to borrowers at 8%. When demand for money gets bigger than the sufficient funds of the bank, interest rates become higher. Why, because the bank will also borrow funds from other sources which charges them interest. This will necessarily increase the rate of interest in borrowing. 2. Monetary policies. The monetary policies of the government could either tighten or loosen the money supply. Loosening money supply is the policy of printing money for circulation by the Central Bank. Tightening it causes interest rate to increase. Monetary policies are decisions done by the government to manage the economy in such a way that it tries to determine how much money supply is needed. 3. Inflation. Inflation is defined as â€Å"an increase in the amount of money and credit in relation to the supply of goods and services† (YourDictionary) T control inflation, government issues several policies to curb inflation. One of these is printing of money for money supply. 3.1 The government monetary policy of printing money for supply circulation is called monetary inflation. In global economy today, the amount of money in circulation can be provided by financial institutions and can be more complex because of interest rates. (Your Dictionary) 3.2 Effect of Government borrowings. An investment demand schedule is needed by the government for public expenditures. When the tax collected is not sufficient for projected expenses,

Chinese Media & Culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Chinese Media & Culture - Term Paper Example Chinese media is commercial market and people are media addicted. Chinese people are highly media active and they socially interact more on internet than in person. Chinese people are creative and professionals and they use media effectively to benefit their lives. Chinese use media for education, information purpose, industry, art and entertainment. China is a producing country and many products and services are provided by them and use media creatively and they earn more benefits from it .China has more social media user than Face book has and it is very large. Chinese used Face book and Twitter for many purposed like educational, employment and entertainment but lately it is banned. The Chinese had been using radio and television for discussion matters of sensitive nature like politics and cultural issues. The media are advantageous in informing the Chinese people on crime, disaster and matters of human interests. The Chinese media activism is rigorous and hence been an integral part of their lives. The newspaper and radio had been the main media for the Chinese people to sell advertisement and compete in market place. Now internet and television has become a source for entrepreneurs to sell their products and services. The search engine Google is used by elite group of China and academics on a wide basis. Newspapers and radio had been a media extensively used by students and politicians. Now internet is a media which the Chinese use to learn local and international affairs. Online communication has become a vital part of Chinese society and people connect with world instantaneously with the use of media. The media in China is growing especially social media as it is the key way for individuals and businesses to communicate. They also use mobile internet because many people have smart phones and other wireless devices. The communication was Chinese have become much more open with internet and they have immediate

Company Introduction, Market Segmentation, and Product Positioning Essay

Company Introduction, Market Segmentation, and Product Positioning - Essay Example However, today, it has expanded to immeasurable lengths. For a young company that is barely ten years old, the financial performance is excellent. It had opened three other branches in other states including Ohio, Michigan and Massachusetts. However, the company has also opened a branch in Australia which is thriving like its mother company. The company distinguishes itself as fast fashion trademark and offers high fashion clothing to reach the public at affordable prices. The Company’s mission statement is ‘when the customer looks good, we look good.’ In light of this, the main aim of the company is to ensure their customers look trendy and thus keep up with fashion (London Business School, 2008). Trendy Fashionista has over 500 employees in all their five branches. Additionally, it boasts of a wide range of customers from all backgrounds. The clothes sold are not the average clothes found in cloth stores. The company’s fashion designers go an extra mile t o make clothes that are unique. This coupled with the fact that the company sells its clothes at fairly cheap prices makes Trendy Fashionista the perfect destination for a fashion conscious individual. Marketing Plan Introduction The fashion industry is ever changing due to contribution of companies like Topshop, H&M and Zara (Helm, 2008). Consequently, factors affecting the clothing industry will influence trends in the high fashion world. In the clothing industry, customers’ preferences vary according to their ages and body types. Furthermore, the demand for clothing is affected by population size and patterns. It is important to note that demographic trends are the driving force in the fashion. The company puts all these factors into consideration before setting up their market plan. Financial Goals The most important goal for Trendy Fashionista over the next ten years is to increase its revenues by at least 40% each year. This way, the company shall make at least 50% in p rofits and hence be a profitable business. Furthermore, the company intends to start online shopping. It has been realized that most shoppers would rather shop online due to their hectic schedules (London Business School, 2008). Additionally, it intends to expand its manufacturing capabilities. At the moment, once the fashion designers finish their job, the company has to outsource manufacturers. Therefore, the company needs to start making its own clothes. Furthermore, the company intends to increase its distribution and possibly open one more store in Australia. This will take care of the growing clientele base in Australia. Finally, the company intends to start taking part in community development. The founders are passionate about developing the community and thus the target is to set aside $10,000 to be donated to various Non Governmental Organizations. Non Financial goals The company intends to introduce a new product line, lightweight luggage. After a lot of research, the com pany has discovered that today’s traveler is tired of heavy luggage. Therefore, the company’ designers have been working on a new product that will lighten the traveler’s experience and if possible make the experience enjoyable. The luggage has been customized not only be easy to carry but also easy to improvise. For example, the product comes with an inbuilt charger which can be converted into a phone. The biggest challenge that the company has so far is that it lacks an internet

Growth and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Growth and Development - Essay Example Thus, it is a period when young people are out of their adolescence but are yet to attain the adult title. The age span for emerging adulthood ranges from 18 to 25 though this may be extended up to the age of 29. During this period, most young people are always struggling to put various components of their lives in order so that they can achieve the status of being referred to as adults. This paper will be a discussion of various issues as pertains to emerging adulthood. According to Arnett, 2004, â€Å"during Emerging Adulthood, young people are in the process of developing the capacities, skills and qualities of character deemed by their cultures as necessary for completing the transition to adulthood†. As such, it is an important period of life since most people going through it have the same aspirations. As a result, all of them have the same characteristics. Insatiability is one common characteristic that people in the emerging adulthood phase of life have. This is showca sed with the tendency of changing life plans. People between the ages of 18 to 29 can be observed to constantly change partners, jobs and even residences. This is because they often feel that they have to do much more than they have already achieved. This in turn gives them an aspect of insatiability. Identity exploration is another characteristic that most people in the Emerging Adulthood stage of life have. ... Along the same line, emerging adults will always delay responsibilities so that they can focus on themselves. Most of them tend to avoid marriage and parenting so that they can have all their time and resources to themselves. Self focus is what seems to be the most important thing to them at during this time (Arnett, 2004). Feeling caught up in between is another characteristic common with emerging adults. This is due to the fact that most of them feel that they are more independent and mature than when they were adolescents t at t same time feel that they are not fully accomplished to be referred to as adults. Lastly, most people in the above age bracket always have a very optimistic view of the future with the belief that they will accomplish all that they have set out to do and eventually become what they would want to be (Arnett, 2004). These are the characteristics that most people in this phase of life irrespective of culture and financial capability have. Generally, the period of emerging adulthood is different from the adolescent and early adulthood phase due to the fact that the reality of emerging responsibility finally begins to dawn on these individuals. During adolescence, people are not responsible of their actions but simply do what will be acceptable in the eyes of their peers. They do not fear rebellion and do not listen to what their parents say. Their decisions are dependent on how their peers will judge them and the aspect of being financially independent does not bother them. They are minors and still live at their parent’s home and are experiencing the physical changes of puberty but people in the emerging adulthood phase have already reached full reproduction maturity. On the other hand, adulthood is characterized by

Eddie and Catherine Essay Example for Free

Eddie and Catherine Essay When Catherine has a conversation with Beatrice about her behaviour in front of Eddie, Beatrice offers Catherine some advice that she not only doesnt like, but also that comes as a complete shock to her. Beatrice explains to her that Eddie thought that she was possibly jealous or something towards Catherine, because of the strong relationship that Eddie and Catherine had, compared to the weak relationship that Eddie and Beatrice share. When Catherine realises what Beatrice is implying, she claims that its the first [shed] thought of it, however it is clear from the way that she has started talking to Eddie that she has her suspicions. When we first met Eddie at the beginning of the play, he was a stern but kind husband to Beatrice and uncle to Catherine. He only cared about what was best for his family and tried to offer them the best advice that he could. However, events happened in his life that caused him to stop caring so much about Beatrice and started caring much more about Catherine. Eddies unavoidable feelings led him to think about what it was he actually did feel towards Catherine, and it is only at this point in the play that the other characters confront each other with what they think Eddie is feeling incestuous instincts towards his niece. However, the realisation of his lust is about to make Eddie reconsider his motives for trying to win the heart of his niece. When we see Eddies conversation with Alfieri, we appreciate why losing Catherine to Rodolfo is so difficult for him. Throughout the dialogue in this scene, we are presented with opinions and feelings that Eddie has never spoken of to anyone else, which represents a very strong trust between the two men. One of these feelings is jealousy: when I think of that guy layin his hands on her, I could I mean its eatin me out, Mr. Alfieri, because I struggled for that girl. Another feeling that Eddie shows is fear for his niece: what about it if the only reason for it is to get his papers? When an audience of the 1930s would have seen this, they would find it a crime. In America in the time of the Economic Depression, many people were illegally migrating from all over the world to America to seek a better life. If they were caught in America illegally, then they would be immediately deported back to their home country. However, the chance of being deported would have been less if the migrant had married an official citizen of the United States. In this case, if Rodolfo married Catherine then there would be less chance of Rodolfo being sent back to Italy. If someone in the audience then had felt that this was the only reason for Rodolfos love, then they would have been outraged with his actions and felt that he should get what he deserves and be deported. Eddies opinion about Rodolfo is made perfectly clear in this scene. He says to Alfieri what it is he thinks of him and his actions. The most prominent opinion is that he aint right, implying that Rodolfo is a homosexual and that the only reason he is marrying Catherine is in fact to get his American citizenship papers. This opinion has not just been made clear in this seen though. Throughout the play we see Eddie making comments to other characters about Rodolfos sexual orientation, such as when he is complaining about how late Catherine and Rodolfos date has taken, he says to Beatrice that he just hope[s] thats his regular hair, thats all. In the 1930s, it was not very common for males to get their hair coloured, so if a man did then it was considered that there was something nor right about them. Another opinion is that even if hes a punk he should still let Catherine go and wish her luck. If Eddie were to do this, then he would not forgive himself and regret it for the rest of his life. This is why Eddie never gives up in his fight to keep Catherine for himself. The opening of Act Two highlights the extent to which Catherine and Eddies relationship has deteriorated and how painful this is for Catherine. We are first presented with this when Catherine gives into Rodolfos emotional prompts and she tells him why she wants to move to Italy. She says to Rodolfo, Im afraid of Eddie here. This is the first time throughout the entire play that Catherine has admitted to being scared of Eddie, because she knows how angry she is at Rodolfo for loving her, and also how jealous he is that he cant have her as his own. Even though she knows deep down why she is afraid of him, she doesnt tell Rodolfo why. She says, I dont know! and tries to get Rodolfo to leave the subject alone, however he refuses. We see how painful it is for Catherine that her relationship with Eddie has broken down when she speaks of their history, Ive been here all my life Every day I saw him when he left in the morning and when he came home at night. You think its easy to turn around and say to a man hes nothing to you no more? and eventually breaks down into a fit of tears. Eddie has been there for Catherine ever since her mother died when she was a little girl. Eddie has been like a father to her, providing for her every need and trying his best to show her what is right and what is wrong. It is especially hard for Catherine because she knows that it is Eddie who has broken down their once outstanding relationship because of his pure jealousy and incestuous lust. If she could have her own way, then they would still be friends like they once were, but it is now too late because Eddie has been blinded by jealousy, anger and perverted sexual urges. It is more painful for Catherine than anyone else because she knows that its not her fault that their relationship has broken down, and also that she could have done something to stop this from happening. Up to this position in the play, there has not been a point where Eddie has given into his violent urges and acted upon impulse towards Rodolfo and Catherine. However, the climax of increasing tension between the characters is shown when Eddie is possessed by his own rage and jealousy and his kisses both Catherine and Rodolfo. This shows us Eddie desperately trying to do two things the first of these (the kiss towards Catherine) is trying to see if she would respond positively towards him, possibly by kissing him back or not resisting, just to see if she still loved him, or even if she felt the same way towards him. However, when she forces him away from her, he directs his sexual attention to Rodolfo. The second thing that Eddie tries to do is show that Rodolfo is actually homosexual, and he thinks that by kissing him it will make him admit it. If he didnt admit it, then he would still kiss him back, which would also prove his sexual orientation. When Rodolfo does not return Eddies passion to him, he demands that he leave the country. Because Eddie cannot prove that Rodolfo doesnt feel loving feelings towards Catherine, he demands that he leaves the country alone (Get outa here. Alone. You hear me? Alone) as a final attempt to break him and Catherine apart.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Chapter 1 Introduction Corporate Social Responsibility is a rapidly developing, key business issue. It is a concept that has attracted worldwide attention. Due to the demands for enhanced transparency and corporate citizenship, CSR started to embrace social, ethical as well as environmental challenges. Today, companies are aware of the social and environmental impacts of international production. It is accepted that Companies should not be only profitable, but also good corporate citizens. Through globalization of the economy, multinational companies are increasingly involved with suppliers and customers worldwide, especially if they operate in developing countries. The CSR agenda has a close relationship with international development. CSR within multinational companies is seen as a vehicle through which larger, well known corporations can contribute to the well being of developing countries by operating responsibly in terms of social and environmental issues. However, the promoted CSR in the developing world by multinationals is not real CSR, despite significant contribution to development in some cases. Very little is known about the companies CSR policies and practices in an international context, developing countries in particular. As reality shows, most of the larger corporations abuse the CSR and behave unethically and irresponsibly towards both society and the environment. Issues such as unsafe working conditions, unfair payment, gender discrimination, sexual h arassment, toxic emissions and the hazardous pollution of water and soil have all raised fair allegations by consumers, non-governmental organizations and the larger society. . Famous global brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, GAP and McDonalds are often under intense pressure from the public. Much of those pressures are due to their unethical behaviour in developing countries, where their main operations take place. Though companies operate in host countries, their reputation extends across numerous national boundaries. The actions of multinational companies in a host country can cause significant loss of reputation in the developed world, where the general public have become more sensitive to environmental issues and social impact. The public have the power to boycott the goods and products of multinational corporations in cases of unethical behaviour where organisations are thought not to fulfil their social and environmental obligations. However, international reputation side effects a re not the only reason behind the potential increased level of social and environmental responsibilities faced by multinational companies; there are many drivers for the correct implementation of CSR by business entities. However, for many companies, corporate reputation and brand image are the fundamental components of business success. Corporate Social Responsibility in developing countries represents the formal and informal ways in which multinational business enterprises contribute to improving the social, ethical and environmental conditions of the developing countries in which they operate. However, the rational approach to the CSR in the developing world is different from CSR in developed countries. For example, developing countries represent the ongoing growth of the economy; hence the most attractive growth markets for many foreign companies. They provide cheap labour, an absence of strong regulations and a rich availability of resources; all crucial concerns for multinational enterprises for conducting their businesses in developing world. It has been found that the public and the government are not as critical of unethical business practices within foreign companies. In addition, developing countries are where globalization, economic growth, investments and business activities are likely to have both posit ive and negative social and environmental impacts. Therefore, developing countries represent a different set of CSR agenda for multinational companies to those operating in the developed world. In this research paper the CSR practices of multinational corporations will be examined. Their CSR commitment as well as irresponsible practices will be highlighted. In the first chapter, there will be overview on the previous works in this field. As CSR is a new concept, especially in developing countries, the short history of the development of CSR and main contributions will be presented. Literature review will give us the background knowledge about CSR. In chapter two, research methodology and relating this to the subject matter will be discussed. As research will be based on case study, there will be some examples of multinational corporations experience in developing countries. The examples of their commitments towards environmental and social sustainability as well as negative impacts caused by their unethical operations will be provided. The opinions and critics of analysts and experts will provide a clear understanding of companies CSR practices in the developing world. The well known multinational companies like Nestle, Nike, KFC, Apple iPod and many others will be examined for their irresponsible and unethical behaviour in developing countries such as China, Indonesia, India, Southeast Asia and Africa. For the main research point the Coca-Cola crisis in India has been chosen, as Coca-cola, despite its CSR commitment towards society and environment, has caused damages to both the community and environment where it operates. From the case study, we are able to make some conclusions regarding CSR practices and make suggestions and recommendations for future of Corporate Social Responsibility, as it will undoubtedly increasingly become a major issue and integral part of business practise. Chapter 2 Literature review The 21st Century has seen much advancement in the issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and there has been particular interest in the impact CSR could have globally. This literature review will begin by defining what is meant by corporate social responsibility. There are a lot of debates about the origins of CSR; however it is clear that CSR is a modern term, a consequence arising from the history of business responsibility. The modern term is considered to have western origin; however it has developed from different countries ideas and theories. This has created a number of definitions of CSR. This can lead to confusion making CSR less effective. It is interesting to observe that none of the definitions actually defines the social responsibility of businesses, as so famously discussed by Milton Friedman (1970), but rather describe it as a phenomenon. The Government sees CSR as a business contribution to sustainable development. However, the modern concept of CSR has been i nfluenced by Globalization and so CSR has developed and is taken in different context worldwide. (Crane, Matten, Spence, 2008). In addition, organizations such as the European Union (EU) see CSR as a concept integrating social and environmental concerns in business operations and in their interactions with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. However, others like Ethics in Action Awards (2003), describe CSR as a companys obligation to be accountable to all of its stakeholders in all operations and activities (Dahlsrud, 2006). There are a number of debates raised in academic literature over the issue of to whom the business must have responsibility. Various authors have referred to the common approaches: shareholder, stakeholder and societal approaches. According to shareholder approach, the classical view on CSR maximizing the profits of shareholders (Friedman, 1962). This approach can also be interpreted as being that the company should make contributions to the extent, to whic h it can be connected with the creation of long-term value for the shareholders (Foley, 2000). From the stakeholder theory, it is obvious that organisations should be accountable towards other groups of stakeholders, who can affect or be affected by a companys objectives (Freeman, 1984). The last approach, which is regarded to give the broader view on CSR, argues that the organisations should be responsible to societies as a whole, of which they are an integral part. The aim of the following literature review is to identify the most valuable academic studies and important practical investigations. The field of Corporate Social Responsibility can be divided into several parts; definitions of CSR, analysis of CSR approaches, CSR in supply chain, CSR in developed countries as well as in developing ones, the link between CSR and globalization and last, but not least the global understanding of CSR. The history of CSR The development concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been carried out mainly in western countries; particularly in United States. Literature picks up the issue from the 1950s when attention was devoted to the responsibility of businessmen ( Bowen, 1953) to the 1980s when the argument with stakeholder theory took place (Freeman, 1984) and of course, to the 1990s when most studies were devoted to the analysis of the relationship between CSR and corporate financial performance (Roman et al, 1999). In the beginning of the 1950s, Howard Bowen tried to give rational and systematic arguments in favour of CSR and its connection with big corporations and their influence on social consequences and undoubtedly, their primary societal responsibilities. The one of the earliest books on CSR, The Social Responsibilities of the Businessman, was written by Bowen in 1953. Bowens book was specifically concerned with the doctrine of social responsibility. Bowen argued that social responsibility is not panacea for all business social problems, but that it contains an important truth that must guide business in the future (Asongu, 2007). Because of Bowens early and very valuable work, Carroll has argued that Howard Bowen should be called the Father of Corporate Social Responsibility (Carroll, 2000). The decade of the 1 960s is characterized as seeing a growing interest in the formalizing or more precisely, defining the meaning of CSR. One of the prominent writers in this period was Keith Davis, who later extensively wrote about the topic in his business and society textbooks, later revisions and articles. He argued that social responsibility is a nebulous idea, but should be seen in a managerial context (Mahon, 1991). Another influential contributor to the early research into CSR was Friedman. The argument made by Friedman (1962) that the main corporations responsibility is toward shareholders has created much debate among academics. It was not until 1970, that Wallich and McGowan first made attempts to demonstrate the link between corporations social responsibility and shareholders interests. They argued that the aim of corporations long-term interest should be linked to the environment to which a corporation belongs. If society and environment became worse, a business would lose their critical s upport structure and customer base (Keim, 1978). In the 1970s there are a wide range of references, increasingly being made to corporate social responsiveness, corporate social performance as well as corporate social responsibility. In the 90s, literature tried to find out answers to questions such as why some companies are doing well and if CSR could be identified as a competitive advantage. Most academics and scholars started to apply the stakeholder theory to CSR, because stakeholders, other than shareholders have interest in the well-being of a company in relation to employees, customers, governments and others. This model renewed the interest in CSR and more research was devoted to this subject. Also, there is great interest in the linkage between CSR and corporate competitiveness; but bbbthere is a shortcoming of quantitative translation of socially responsible practices into specific results affecting the income and loss of particular organization (Murillo and Lozano, 2006). Many scholars connect CSR with the competitive advantage that a company can gain. The most well-known work in this field is Professor Michel Porters The competitive advantage of corporate philanthropy in which he describes how a company is able to improve its long-term potential by linking financial and societal goals (Porter, 2003). Further development in this area was made by Kramer (2003). Problems with CSR research We know very little about CSR initiatives and undoubtedly, there are some questions about both the efficiency of CSR approaches and the tangible benefits for stakeholder groups. Also, we know very little about the social and environmental impacts of CSR initiatives. For example, many business schools analyzed and devoted their works to studying the content of codes of conduct. They looked at specific issues such as child labour, but they failed to study the wider societal impacts of CSR. The most notable study about societal impacts came from development study scholars, not from business schools. The study by Barrientos and Smiths (2007) reviled that there are, in particular in those countries where empirical investigation took place such as South Africa, India, Vietnam and Costa Rica, some benefits from codes of conduct and initiatives implementing CSR by multinational companies. However there are failures in the areas of noncompliance and ensuring the improvement of working conditi ons. In addition to this, Barrientos and Smiths questioned the methods used by the business communities in investigating the societal impacts of CSR, doubting the efficiency of the tools used to monitor CSR performance. Due to the lack of empirical study and evidence regarding CSR impacts, there are still analytical limitations in the current CSR field. For example, some academics (Lantos, 2001) wrote about conceptualization of CSR, however, current field of CSR and business scholars fail to answer vital questions. For example, how can CSR tackle a development challenge like poverty, without an understanding of the negative influence caused by multinational companies operating in host communities? Even if there is agreement about societal benefits of CSR initiatives, there is still uncertainty about the way in which CSR should be studied and analyzed. Lockett, Moon and Wisser (2006) argued that CSR knowledge should be best described as a continuing state of emergence. Indeed, many s cholars study CSR initiatives without any reference to theoretical perspectives. Milton Friedman and other authors highlighted the agency problem of CSR for a long time. For example, Friedman argued that the pursuit of societal and environmental objectives will undoubtedly hurt shareholders by lowering profits. However, other scholars like Margolis and Walsh (2003) oppose the arguments of Friedman. They found that, between 1972 and 2002, at least 172 empirical studies investigated the positive relationship between social responsible behaviour of an organization and its financial performance. Levels of CSR Another main contribution to the development of CSR made by Carroll (1991), considered the economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic levels of CSR. These levels represent what is required, expected and desired for CSR strategies (Crane, Matten, Spence, 2008). According to Crane, Matten and Spence, Carrolls pyramid of CSR is the most widely accepted definition of CSR. Until the 1980s, environmental corporate responsibility was the part of social responsibility, which was used as a frame term that covered a wide field of ideas. However, corporations became to understand the importance of environmental responsibility. For this reason, the concept of corporate environmental responsibility has started to be used by researchers such as Rondinelli and Berry (2000) in parallel with the development of corporate social responsibility by Carroll (1998), Maignan and Ferrel (2000) and Zarkada-Fraser (2004). CSR and Corporate Social Reporting The great number of scholars, who have since the 1970s (Fenn, Ackerman,), analyzed the complex issue of Corporate Social Responsibility and the advantage of reporting on a wider scale, have given the possibility to evaluate social performance (Levis, 2006). The theme of social reporting has been developed along with the CSR. The approach for researching reporting is different in comparison with past decades due to the growing number of organizations that have published a social report. (Belal, 2002; Bitcha, 2003; Weaver et al, 1999). The reason for the growing interest in this field is linked to progress in business ethics (Donaldson, 1999) and the significant importance of the stakeholder approach, which has led to an increase of interest in studying the causes and real meaning of the phenomenon. The present approach to social reporting activities can be divided into two parts: fists, those who still think that it is a responsiveness approach and others, who argue that it is much mo re than communication; it is a tool of strategic management. Research in CSR worldwide Cultural differences affect CSR dynamics as well as companies practising responsible behaviour. For instance, research by Juholin (2004) reviled that long-term profitability is the prominent driving force behind CSR in Finland. Research by Fulop et al. (2000) discovered differences in CSR orientations between large and small firms. A similar study by Uhlaner et al. (2004) suggests a mixture of CSR perspectives (economic benefits, legal, ethical and philanthropic considerations) as useful in explaining variations in CSR orientations amongst Dutch firms. Despite cross-cultural and national differences, there are differences in the variety of methodologies adopted in examining and analyzing CSR. Some studies considered CSR as a philanthropic and ethical responsibility; however other studies have made a distinction between CSR as simple legal compliance vs. CSR as conducting business with high regard for morality. As noted previously, the debate about CSR has existed since the 1950s. In the first academic papers, a narrow concept of corporate social responsibility was used. Most of the authors like Bragdon and Marlin (1972) and Spicer (1975), tried to approach CSR through the main social and environmental problems such as pollution and contributions to the local community. The data used for their analysis was based on information issued by the Council on Economic Priorities. However they were not able to cover the whole aspects of CSR and their works were not valid for every industry (Dooley, 2004). Later, a broader valuation and examination was provided by Moskowitz (1972, 1975). In his work he tried to cover almost every aspect of corporate social responsibility such as equal employment opportunities, charitable contributions, fair dealing with customers, product quality and more. CSR in developing world Despite the great interest in ethical and responsible behaviour in business, very little is known of the practise of CSR in developing countries. For example, Belal (2001) notes that there are a wide range of academic publications, describing CSR in the context of developed countries such as Western Europe, the USA and Australia. Also that we still know too little about practices of corporate responsibility in ex-colonial, smaller and developing countries. He suggests doing more research into developing countries as it will give a valuable insight to the western meaning of CSR in context (Jamali, 2007). There are no large scale developmental studies of CSR in developing countries as there are in western countries. However, the CSR discussion traditionally revolved around the multinational companies operating in developing countries. The multinational companies response to CSR has great impact on the future global CSR agenda. The first notions of corporate social responsibility in developing countries emerged in the 1960s amongst American companies operating in developing countries, particularly in Asia and Africa. Perhaps a simple definition, truly reflecting the responsible behaviour of current multinational companies operating in developing countries is presented by Davies, who suggested CSR as a framework for the role of business in society. The implication of this definition is that it includes any society in which the company operates, including the global society (Engle, 2006). Within the Asian context, most academics paid attention to describing the governance aspects of environmental responsibility (Hong Kong: Hills and Welford; China: Bi; The Philippines: Forsyth). In contrast, in India, Mohan has focused on social responsibilities and corporate citizenships. Also, there is some research into the normative aspects of CSR such as the evolution of business ethics in Taiwanese companies (Wu). In the study of CSR in Malaysia, Teoh and Thong found that the most foreign multinational companies seemed more inclined to accept their responsibilities towards environment and society (Chapple, 2005). CSR in the Global Context CSR and multinational corporations. Relatively little is known about management of corporate social responsibility by multinational companies (Gnyawali, 1996). In general, little is known about the management of CSR in multinational companies, either practically or academically. While many areas of research have examined the nature of cultural or business preference to social equality (Adler, 1997; George and Jones, 2002; Lantos, 2002), there has previously been no research regarding the role of CSR in the expansion of organizations into new territories or cultures. The dominant theoretical approach to studying CSR practices among multinational companies, operating in developing countries, is the works of Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989) and Prahalad and Doz (1987), who tried to analyze general multinational companies management practices in CSR. This framework was then extended by Yip (1992) and Husted and Allen (2006) to cover CSR practices (Geppert et al., 2006). The studies of these researchers enabled interesting insights such as how CSR is being managed, the potential barriers to successful implementation of CSR practices within domestic p laces into operation among multinational corporations. However, mainstream research of CSR was concentrated particularly on domestic issues such as labour issues, racial discrimination, the position of women and the environment. To date there has been limited analysis in the developing countries context, in particular regarding foreign multinational companies. Further detailed analysis is needed of what instrumental, moral and relational motives exist in systems very different to the western context in which they were developed. CSR and Globalization With Globalization, CSR has been propelled into a global context. Ruggie (2004) identified three particular aspects of social responsibility in the context of global governance. Firstly, nowadays it is expected that multinational companies will build new capacities and take care of issues such as working conditions, healthcare and education as well as respect human rights. So that, if corporations insist on setting up in developing countries, they are forced to consider challenges, normally associated with developing countries like poverty or child labour. Nowadays, most multinational companies face a lot of new and challenging problems in this era of Globalization. According to Weber, Lawrence and Post, multinational companies are able to solve such problems. They have introduced the idea of Three sector world, compromising multinational companies, non governmental organizations and community. In their research, they compared both strengths and weaknesses of each sector and analyzed their contributions to solving global problems. The research method was based on comparing attempts of two multinational companies in implementing CSR in developing countries (Young, 2008). Based on their findings, it is obvious that a collaborative partnership with community and non governmental organizations can carry better results in implementing CSR. Therefore CSR in the global context involves more than business implementation, it needs business cooperation with other organizations whose focus is greater on CSR. From the vast majority of literature, it is clear that CSR has gained major significance in the era of Globalization and multinational companies should take responsibilities for their actions worldwide, especially in developing countries. Multinational corporations should behave as a moral leader in an area where there are no legal requirements (Scherer and Smid, 2000). CSR is considered a Western idea, which has now to be applied to problems in the developing world ( Scherer and Smid, 2000). The literature review is an account of what has been published on corporate social responsibility; it acknowledges the critical points highlighted by scholars and researchers. The literature review conveys what knowledge and ideas have been established on corporate social responsibility and it enables further research to compare and contrast these ideas in order to create new theories. Therefore a literature review provides the basis for the analytical framework of this research (Bryman, 2004). It has also helped with the interpretation of the results and has led to other questions being asked. The literature review also highlighted that there had been little research carried out on the societal impacts of CSR and implementation of CSR by multinational companies in developing world. This gives further importance and emphasis to the analysis of literature in giving rise to new questions and theories. The literature review has provided the framework of following deep research about cor porate social responsibility of multinational companies in developing countries, in particular the problems and benefits of implementing of CSR and the role of huge corporations in this issue. The literature review has helped to identify key themes within CSR by multinationals and from this more questions have evolved. Chapter 3 Methodology In this research paper the case study was employed as the research strategy. Usually descriptive or exploratory research is associated with the case study, and this might be particularly useful when the phenomenon under investigation is difficult to study outside its natural setting. Using case study research methodology is also helpful when the concepts and variables need to be considered where experimental or survey methods are regarded to be inappropriate (Yin, 1994). Case study is used particularly in looking at the specific questions such as how and why that is set in the contemporary environment (Yin, 1989) Case study methodology has a lot of advantages over some other methodologies. First, it allows the use of multiple data collection techniques in order to build a more comprehensive picture of the case being investigated. Second, this in turn leads to the ability to capture both qualitative and quantitative data. Case studies can provide a solid understanding required for hyp othesis development that then leads to improved theory development. The main advantage of case based research is that results are considered to be interesting and important and can shift the focus of investigation towards a new area of interest (Scapens, 1990). The case study is usually considered more accurate, diverse and rich, if it is based on several sources of data (Alasuutari, 2000). Advantages of using secondary data for research purposes As the research is concerned with multinational companies operating internationally, secondary data will probably provide the main source of necessary information. As our research strategy is case study, it is better to use compiled data that have already been sorted or summarised (Kervin, 1999). Secondary data can be obtained from different sources aimed at the same geographic area, where our case study takes place such as the Coca-Colas crisis in India. Area-based multiple sources of data are usually easily available in different forms, especially in published forms. Also tracking the original source of secondary data is much easier, especially when time restrictions are severe. As it will be a case study, it is even preferable to use newspapers, journals and media on a regular basis, as they may provide recent events within the business world. Research will concern the specific country i.e. India, data from government sources are also useful due to their high quality. Because of t ime constraints, secondary data can be obtained very quickly, in addition they have better quality standards in comparison with collecting own data (Stewart and Kamins, 1993). Using secondary data within collection also has a wide range of benefits, as they have already been collected and analyzed (Cowton, 1998). Unlike the data collected by myself, secondary data are permanently available and easily accessible, so that it can be checked relatively easily to others (Denscombe, 1998). Problems with collecting primary data for research purposes Access for some primary data can be problematic and difficult. Therefore it is unlikely that gaining permission for physical access will be easy and will be time consuming. As an interview is way for collecting primary data, however it is difficult to seek access to a range of participants such as employees, suppliers, customers and other stakeholder groups. The main cause might be restricted access to companys data either directly or indirectly (Bunchanan et.al., 1998; Raimond, 1993). As a full time master student, you are not able to have prior contact with huge multinational companies and you will be required to negotiate in order to gain any access to each level of information. Also, the major obstacle in obtaining primary data is time constrains. There is not sufficient time for all methods of collecting primary data, as physical access may take weeks or even months (Bunchanan et.al., 1998). Even, if there are time allowances, nobody can guarantee that replies will be quick and contain all necessary information. In case of opportunities for conducting interviews, undertaking questionnaires or engaging in observation, unfortunately, this would take several weeks. Whichever method will be chosen, almost all methods for gathering primary data are very time consuming (Bryman, 1988). However, due to the growing significance of the topic, many researchers have used primary data to conduct research. They collected primary data through interviews, observation and questionnaires. There are some examples of case study based research approaches. The implementation of CSR in developing countries was examined by Christina L. Anderson and Rebecca L. Bieniaszewska in the paper The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Oil Companys Expansion into New Territories. The aims of the study were to analyse the role of CSR in British Petroleums overall business strategy and to examin the benefits of employing CSR as a part of business strategy when it was operating in new territories and cultures. The case study approach was conducted through providing interviews with representatives from BP, social auditing and accounting specialists. Recent company reports and website information were also examined. Another example came from Richard Welford and Stephen Frosts research that provides an overview of CSR practices in Asia. The aim of the research paper is to review the benefits of the implementation of CSR in supply chains and arising obstacles. In order to collect data for research purposes, interviews were undertaken with six CSR managers working for well-known brand corporations, ten factory managers and eight CSR experts. Interviews were held confidentiality and anonymously. All participants have extensive experience of CSR issues and provide a good overview of the challenges for CSR by multinational companies in Asia. The case study based approach showed that multinational corporations such a