Beliefs Taken to the Extremes Essay - 1623 Words

Beliefs Taken to the Extremes Belief is a fundamental human trait. Belief in many things is what helps humans continue living their lives. Religious beliefs are one of the strongest forces of human emotion and often times those emotions can create dangerous situations. When peoples religious beliefs are taken to extreme levels innocent people can be hurt. All throughout history there have been examples of just such incidents occurring. From the Inquisition, to suicide bombers in Israel, to the fighting in Ireland, to the recent events at the World Trade Center religious beliefs taken to extremes have been seen. In the United States many groups preach extreme beliefs that are harmful to the American people. One such†¦show more content†¦This ignorance leads to many family problems but this is not a concern of Religious Right leaders. Some of the form of ignorance promoted by the Religious Right is the censorship of books in libraries, denying needed sexual education for children, and not teac hing vital principles reducing childrens understanding of the world. On the subject of education the Religious Right takes the belief that only certain subjects should be taught in school and others, such as evolution and alternative sexualities, should be banned outright. Also the Religious Right promotes mandatory prayer in school regardless of personal preference. When the Religious Right views an institution like the American library system it wishes to do nothing less than tear it down. The Religious Right views the library system as only a [word I cant think of yet] institution promoting the corruption of minors through the distribution of ides not in line with its own. What the American people see in the free exchange of ideas and material on many different, and at times controversial, ideas the Religious Right sees only sin and blasphemy. What the Religious Right would have in the library system is control over what is viewed by all people, not just minors, and censorship of materials they deem degenerate. Take the case in Virginia where a libraries board was stacked with Religious Right members and voted on, and passed,Show MoreRelatedUtilitarianism And Deontological Ethics In The MovieExtreme Measures?1133 Words   |  5 PagesResearching new medicines and discovering new techniques to heal people can be very difficult with a ll of the rules and stipulations placed on utilizing human subjects for study. In the movie, â€Å"Extreme Measures,† two doctors with opposing morals fight over what they believe is right. 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His main and most revered teachings included: the belief in Tawhid (the oneness of God), the concept of Jahiliyya (pagan ignorance), jihad (struggle)Read MoreEssay on Extreme and Moderate Characters in Molià ©re’s Tartuffe521 Words   |  3 Pages Extreme and Moderate Characters in Tartuffe nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In Molià ©re’s Tartuffe (Moirà © 1664), the reader is able to see a great contrast of Extreme and Moderate characters. Extreme characters being those who are seen as over the top, or very passionate people, and the moderate characters having a more calm and subtle approach to ideas. The extreme characters in this case would be Madam Pernelle, Orgon, Tartuffe, and Dorine. The moderate characters are seen as Cleante and Elmire.Read MoreAnti-Communism in America867 Words   |  4 Pagesgovernment, under Harry Truman’s administration with the help of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover initiated a program of Loyalty Review for Federal Employees, with the aim of determining if government employees were disloyal to the government.(R) Hoover’s extreme sense of communist threat and numerous illegal practices including burglaries, opening mail and illegal wiretaps, resulted in thousands of government workers losing their jobs after unfair accusations or sometimes even without having any process.Read MoreThe Causes Behind The Atrocities Experienced During World War II1166 Words   |  5 Pagesconditions occurring beforehand. Beyond this, many of these causes can be applicable contributions to each World War. In terms of cause, World War II can be considered an inevitable continuation of the first World War. It erupted due to Hitler’s extreme desire for expansion and hostile foreign policy, war was immediately declared upon German militarization of Poland. However, the expectation for global warfare had been longstanding before Mussolini and Hitler came to power or Japan’s assault uponRead MoreEthical Dillemma Commonly Experiences in the Arts and Science1199 Words   |  5 Pagesthe proposed question one must first posses a valid definition of ethics in order to determine the factors of a situation that relate. Ethics are in a way the ‘rules’ that define what is or isn’t acceptable in a society based upon core values and beliefs that the society holds to be true (Ethics vs Morals). Therefore, furthering to relate to the proposed question, an ethical judgment is simply a judgment based upon the ethics of a situation. The majority of ethical judgments that are well-known throughoutRead MoreThe world has undoubtedly been booming and has become more prosperous; however, growth has been600 Words   |  3 PagesThe world has undoubtedly been booming and has become more prosperous; however, growth has been inconsistent in the global scale. 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Overpopulation and The End of the World as We Know It

Many years ago, Aristotle discussed about the best size for a city, and arrived at a conclusion that â€Å"a big increase in the number of population would bring a level of poverty on the citizenry. Poverty will be the cause of all evils including sedition† (Overpopulation: Environmental and Social Problems, 2010). According to studies, human population is expected to reach 9 billion by the year 2050. On the economics point of view, as global population is predicted to grow and more countries become more developed, the demand for natural resources will also increase and may be greater than the supply. Much of the growth in population will also have strong economic growth, and this will occur in developing countries. As the per-capita income of these nations increase, the demand for raw materials for use in electronics, military, farming and urban development will also increase. Because of the global warming issue, green energy and green tech production are expected to rise in developed countries. Unfortunately, future supply of these natural resources may not be able to meet the increasing demand (Supply and Demand, 2013). This essay aims to explain what things could happen to the world if the demand for natural resources becomes greater than its supply due to overpopulation. Does overpopulation causes the demand for natural resources to be greater than the supply, and what things could happen as a consequence for this? Yes, overpopulation results in higher demand for naturalShow MoreRelatedThe Issue of Over Population in the Earth Essay942 Words   |  4 PagesOverpopulation is a hot topic that is becoming a well-known problem that our world faces. At times you can see how our planet may not be big enough for all of us. Family vacations seem less fun due to too long lines. 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Most of these countries are Third World countries and poverty is high in these areas. In the article U.S. Predicted to Boom by 2050 stated the following: â€Å"By 2050, the population in the U.S. will beRead MoreWhy Overpopulation Is A Major Issue1653 Words   |  7 PagesEveryone knows that overpopulation is a major issue; an issue is only going to increase over the next few decades. Every person should have a general understanding of this problem because it is going to affect everyone on the planet if it has not done so already. Many countries on our planet now are already overpopulated. In many third world countries, parents do not have enough money to feed themselves, let alone food for their own children. It is estimated that over one billion people wake upRead MorePet Overpopulation Epidemic Essay1518 Words   |  7 PagesSpeech Topic: Pet Overpopulation Epidemic General Purpose: To persuade. Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that the public is to blame for the pet overpopulation epidemic. Central Idea: In order to control the overwhelming population of homeless pets, we need to stop throwing our â€Å"family friends† away. There are 1.5 dogs and cats put to sleep every second 4-6 million dogs and cats are euthanized every year, states the Humane Society. The pet overpopulation epidemic has becomeRead MoreOverpopulation : The Downfall Of The Human Race1716 Words   |  7 PagesComposition 1 28 March 2016 Overpopulation: The Downfall of the Human Race Throughout the last few hundred years, humans have built a foundation. Compared to all of the other animal species on Earth, humans are the most intelligent. We have built houses everywhere, developed a system to sustain ourselves, and now inhabit almost every piece of land on earth. Humans are smart, strong, and know how to fend for themselves. But, humans have a tendency to take it too far, and we have already done so. 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Accounting Theory and Current Issue Profit after Tax

Question: Discuss about theAccounting Theory and Current Issuefor Profit after Tax. Answer: Introduction In the current article, Half a deference positive research the researcher has decided to investigate the positive accounting in the huge sense of the research technique that intend to develop casual descriptions of the human behaviour in the structure of accounting other than profit after tax in the accounting. In addition, a great positivist research intention has several drawbacks in the real life (Apostolou et al., 2016). Ample difficulties existent is deemed to include casual development of speculative models in remaining weathered, excess dependence on testing hypothesis as well as decreased attention over numerical values parameters. Article Summary In the event article, the researcher considers investigating the positive initiative associated with the accounting research. (Ballwieser et al., 2012) has indicated that the accounting research based on the positive approach is relied with great intellectual project of the scientific research that decides to analyse the association of cause-effect. All the deficiencies in the positive research is analysed by means of selecting all the sample papers that greatly encompass auditing literature works. It was evaluated that the positive research is used currently and it has numerous loopholes in gaining the scientific objectives after choosing relevant sample researches in order to deal with the research objective. In addition to that, the description of Kuhn related with the normal science associates properly with the positive research of accounting. All the possibilities are elaborated greatly for the Kuhnian crisis along with the revolution that can achieve significant accounting to g ather the potential (Bedford and Ziegler, 2016). The researcher has explained Poppers criterion for elaborating that induction process is not that suitable for measuring the accurateness of the particular theory. In addition, the article has also provided a brief review on the falsification of the positive accounting theories. In order to discuss the same, four major elaboration classes was greatly presented that includes the internal impacts, measurements of errors, inefficiency of the relativity theory and external impacts (Bromwich and Scapens 2016). This is because; the researcher has made sure that a specific theory is not able to remain anecdotal by observations. Moreover, it might select between more than two theories. In addition, the decisive observations are considered to falsify unsuitable theories and it is remaining in the condition of support for specific opposing theory. The article elaborated a specific weakness and along with that, a logical dissection is associated with statistical hypothesis testing. In addition, it was also gathered that it is considered highly dilute version of Proper logic. This is the reason for which the specific tests out of 20 can be wrongly rejected at the significance level of 5%. Moreover, the technical concern is associated with the testing of hypothesis in the segmentation of test statistic considered within the null hypothesis that relies on the supplementary suppositions (Chatfield and Vangermeersch, 2014). Conversely, if the technical issue cannot be dealt with, there can be enhanced probability that the testing of the hypothesis might fail. This is existent at the time only a specific alternative hypothesis is deemed to deal with the careful specification. Research Question/ Hypothesis The considered research hypothesis has been generated in order to analyse the validity of the positive accounting research. H0: The universe remains and this is beyond the level of imagination of the individual. H1: All the events of the world have several reasons that advance a fraction of the universe itself. H2: The people those are deemed normal that can help in gaining increasingly dependable information concerning the global events with the help of cautious observations H3: The objective of the intellectual property is to facilitates observations for gaining a global knowledge of the universe specifically causation. In order to test the hypothesis, numerous examples of the positive research within accounting have been represented. Colasse and Durand (2014) revealed that the operation of the rational self-interest among the parties those associated themselves with the implied or express consulted that has resulted in explaining the theory of accounting. For analysing the third hypothesis, the researcher has explained scientific ontology along with epistemology, which signifies the positive accounting research that is not identical with the accounting research. In contrast, it was also revealed that the events did not come into existence, as the intervention output is not randomly from the universe. For evaluating the third hypothesis, it is considered determining the validity. For the same reason, as per the existing theory careful observation is required through which preliminary ideas can be produced. Based on formal theory it can be generated along with testable anticipations, which will remain aligned with the existing dependent along with empirical evidence (Crawford and Lepine, 2013). The suppositions of fresh theory can be analysed in consideration to the new observations in particular situations in which the new and old theories make ample anticipations. For testing the final hypothesis, ample models can be analysed with specific focus or the dimension. Considering the same, indicated that the mental models can be used for analysing the casual procedures remaining in the universe (Henderson et al., 2015). Theoretical Framework The below explained theoretical frameworks was employed in this article for dealing with the research objectives. Instances for Positive Research in Accounting: The conduction of the self-interest balance between the parties is deemed as the outcome through implied or expressed contracts in different organization types. This makes sure that the selections based on accounting on the managers of the company along with the reporting and pricing decisions from the part of the auditors, the decisions of the regulators in consideration to standard setting along with the professional devices of selected academics (Deegan, 2016). It is considered vital that for evaluating the types of information that is employed by the investor in order to take the investment decisions. This reveals that the nature of the human beings is rational and for this reason the kind of games that is existent from the positive accounting theory. In addition, after evaluating the several accounting researches the settings of the accounting can be analysed other than the coherent behaviour like the method through which the audit professionals make numerous accounting researchers. The settings for analysing is evaluated through employing method through which audit professionals make several judgements and the way in which mangers implement discretion in the performance analysis of the evaluation systems. This is because such instances intends to elaborate that the positive research is greater the positive accounting theory (Guthrie and Parker, 2016). Scientific Epistemology and Ontology: revealed that epistemology serves as a scientific field that supposes to explain numerous approaches available in order to gain a great knowledge over the world. In addition to that, ontology serves to reveal the conducts and their association with offering answer for the question. Firstly, the human agency and the socially generated activities in nature, associations and practices reveal that the social universe does not indicate as the objective sustenance devoid of human beings (Dyckman and Zeff, 2015). Along with that the participants and the activities does not need having new rational reasons In addition to that, the universe is not being observed rather than the human beings experiences along with the explanations from the participants. This is the reason for which the ontological and epistemological complexities takes place that has the objective to accomplish a great understanding on the accounting technique causes which further serves a s futile exercise. Needs for Effective Positive Research Program: From the chosen article, it was chosen that a regular testing of the difficult models that needs careful evaluation of the variable measurements. In addition, analytical modelling is considered to be vital in order to develop and test all the theoretical models In order to implement the analytical modelling in the positive accounting research intent, the field before the occupation is required to transform from the tractability to the plausibility (Gaff kin and Aitken, 2014). The researcher has made certain that the enhancement focus on measurement is required other than just testing. For such reasons, in accounting certain bias is related to the strong publication is existent gains dimension other than the same is related with such theory. Drawbacks and Relevance of the Article After evaluating the particular article it has been gathered that the research has identified a huge gap between the recent practices on the constructive accounting and must ensure that making certain vital contributions to greater intellectual program. In certain situations, there is a lack of system optimization. This is deemed important to be modified for rectifying mistakes. In addition, the article provides a rational approach of the scientific research, which is validated by means of participating in the accounting groups (Guthrie and Parker, 2016). In support for the recent study, it was deemed that there is a need for efficient theoretical models those are highly dependable on the nature. Additionally, the same article has anticipated that the positive accounting exploration serves as an implication for the quantitative models those are decreased to statements of supposed trends among several variables (Cagayan and Xu, 2016). In contrast to the same, a major limitation, which is gathered from evaluation of the article, is that the research cannot lead to the awareness of the human behaviour in the accounting context. This is because of the reason that it lacks collecting certain real life information gathered from numerous resources (Guthrie and Parker, 2016). Such limitation is being acknowledged in the same article. Moreover, the lack of collecting secondary and primary information has affected the quality of research. In addition, the researcher is deemed to make numerous inferences based on the statements of numerous authors are not provided high importance that is necessary in the current years for supposing the future advancement of the organization for the long time (Dagher and Kazimov, 2015). Conclusion The current assignment has the focus on evaluating the epistemology and ontology of constructive accounting research for making sure that the loopholes with several important techniques through means of which such drawbacks can be dealt with. The researcher has offered accurate recommendations those ample theoretical models that can be collected for detailed testing of accounting variables. It was also deemed that the quantitative fractions of accounting could be importance for making sure of the future company performance. This is the reason for which, it can be deemed that extremely less modifications in the program of the positive accounting is required for reducing the mistakes from the organizations in relevance to the accounting. References Apostolic, B., Dorminey, J. W., Hassell, J. M. and Rebele, J. E., (2016). Accounting education literature review. Journal of Accounting Education,35, 20-55. Ballwieser, W., Bamberg, G., Beckmann, M. J., Bester, H., Blickle, M., Ewert, R. and Gaynor, M., (2012).Agency theory, information, and incentives. Springer Science Business Media. Bedford, N. M., and Ziegler, R. E., (2016). The contributions of AC Littleton to accounting thought and practice.Memorial Articles for 20th Century American Accounting Leaders,49, 219. Bromwich, M. and Scapens, R. W., (2016). Management Accounting Research: 25 years on.Management Accounting Research,31, 1-9. Caglayan, M. and Xu, B., (2016). Inflation volatility effects on the allocation of bank loans.Journal of Financial Stability,24, 27-39. Chatfield, M. and Vangermeersch, R., (2014).The History of Accounting (RLE Accounting): An International Encylopedia. Routledge. Colasse, B. and Durand, R., (2014). French accounting theorists of the twentieth century.Twentieth Century Accounting Thinkers (RLE Accounting), 41. Crawford, E. R. and Lepine, J. A., (2013). A configural theory of team processes: Accounting for the structure of taskwork and teamwork.Academy of Management Review,38(1), 32-48. Dagher, J. and Kazimov, K., (2015). Banks? liability structure and mortgage lending during the financial crisis.Journal of Financial Economics,116(3), 565-582. Deegan, C., (2016). Twenty five years of social and environmental accounting research within Critical Perspectives of Accounting: Hits, misses and ways forward.Critical Perspectives on Accounting. Dyckman, T. R. and Zeff, S. A., (2015). Accounting Research: Past, Present, and Future.Abacus,51(4), 511-524. Gaffikin, M. and Aitken, M., (2014).The Development of Accounting Theory (RLE Accounting): Significant Contributors to Accounting Thought in the 20th Century. Routledge. Guthrie, J. and Parker, L. D., (2016). Whither the accounting profession, accountants and accounting researchers? Commentary and projections.Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal,29(1), 2-10. Henderson, S., Peirson, G., Herbohn, K. and Howieson, B., (2015).Issues in financial accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU.

The Planetary Trust Essay Example

The Planetary Trust Paper The planetary trust: a flawed instrument of intergenerational equity Brown Weiss’s Planetary Trust concept is significant in that it presents a potential instrumental means for facilitating equity between generations. This section begins by outlining Brown Weiss’s Planetary Trust concept, setting it within the context of trust law more generally. It then presents a critique of the Planetary Trust on both a theoretical and practical level, before comparing the Planetary Trust concept to defined benefit pension funds, noting that any practical incarnation of the Planetary Trust is likely to face many of challenges that have all but defeated defined benefit funds. The Planetary Trust Concept While a number of theorists have attempted to establish a normative basis for justice between the generations, very few have suggested an instrumental means of governance for achieving justice between generations. An exception is Brown Weiss, whose theory ‘tries to anticipate the norms required to bring about justice between our generation and future generations’ with respect to ‘the natural and cultural patrimony of our planet’. Brown Weiss has suggested an instrument that legislators could adopt in order to give effect to the theory of intergenerational equity: the ‘Planetary Trust’. It is a normative framework which, if adopted and internalized by our political, economic and social institutions, might enable them to serve as vehicles for ensuring that future generations will inherit their just share of our global heritage. Its thesis is that the human species holds the natural and cultural resources of the planet in trust for all generations of the human species. The concept is, therefore, based in trust law. Brown Weiss describes the functionality of the Planetary Trust as follows: This Planetary Trust obligates each generation to preserve the diversity of the resource base and to pass the planet on in no worse condition than it receives it. We will write a custom essay sample on The Planetary Trust specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Planetary Trust specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Planetary Trust specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Thus, the present generation serves both as a trustee for future generations and as a beneficiary of the trust. In fulfilling our role as Planetary Trustees, we can draw on the law of trusts, a body of distilled teachings concerning intergenerational cooperation and conflict, to help resolve the challenges confronting our global heritage. As such, the Planetary Trust institution conceives the entire planet as a trust fund, which must be managed by trustees in the best interests of beneficiaries. Brown Weiss relies, in particular, upon the law of charitable trusts in order to constitute her legal framework for the Planetary Trust. Trust law originated in England as a means for transferring property from one generation of a family to the next, and remains a central feature of common law legal systems today. As noted in Chapter V, the trust institution was born of conscientious necessity: it was created to overcome situations in which existing legal obligations had failed to protect the property of minors from unscrupulous guardians. Thus from its earliest days, the trust had the makings of a bespoke institution of intergenerational justice. The situations in which this propensity can be realised, of course, are limited by contextual legal requirements. Under trust law in common law jurisdictions, a number of different types of trust exist (for example, expressed, constructive and resulting trusts). Here we will confine ourselves to outlining the law relating to charitable trusts, given Brown Weiss’s focus. A charitable trust has a number of features. These include the capital of the fund itself, beneficiaries, trustees, an explicit or implicit decision to create the trust, and rules governing the management of the trust. It is worth explaining briefly how each of these requirements is addressed in Brown Weiss’ theory of the Planetary Trust. First, at the heart of a trust fund is the trust property. The property of the Planetary Trust ‘includes both the natural heritage of the planet and the cultural heritage of the human species’. Second, trustees manage the trust fund on behalf of the beneficiaries. In charitable trusts, the beneficiaries do not need to be specific individuals. Instead, the trust should benefit society, or at least an appreciable and identifiable part of it. The beneficiaries of the Planetary Trust are to be ‘all human generations, born and unborn.’ Third, the trust must have trustees who manage the trust property with a high level of care, according to the requirements of fiduciary duty (described in detail in Chapter III). Under the Planetary Trust ‘each generation acts as trustee for beneficiaries in succeeding generations, just as past generations served as trustees for it’. Fourth, the purpose of the trust must be clear. The owner of the trust property must manifest an intention that it be held on trust for the beneficiaries. Brown Weiss argues that [t]he Planetary Trust is an inter vivos trust between generations of the human species. Its existence is implicit in the nature of the relationship between generations. It derives from an implied declaration by each generation that it holds the resources of the planet in trust for future generations. This intention is universally reflected in diverse human cultural and religious traditions. The Planetary Trust concept has several advantages. First, it sets out clearly the intergenerational problems inherent in natural resource management. Second, it emphasises the role that must be played by the current generation in ensuring future generations have access to a range of natural resources of a decent quality, and not just what is left over after thoughtless exploitation by the current generation. Third, and most importantly, it presents a theoretical framework upon which a functional instrument may be designed and managed. In Robert Merton and Zvi Bodie’s terms, it has a form and function. Despite the elegance of the notion of Planetary Trust in a symbolic sense, however, its practical application, when imagined, appears impossible. Upon closer examination, moreover, the theoretical underpinnings of the concept appear to be unworkable. Critique of the Planetary Trust Concept While Brown Weiss’s institution provides something of a seductive metaphor, the foundational arguments for implying the Planetary Trust are contestable in both their general sense and in their details. Broadly, Brown Weiss’ assumption that all humans intend to hold the planet on trust for all future generations is, of course, utopian. Her suggestion that this intention is universal and manifest in ‘diverse human cultural and religious traditions’ is, similarly, morally and practically contentious. It relies upon a belief that the regard one generation has for its children is natural in the sense that it is ahistorical and not contingent on culture and society and is repeated one generation to the next by reference to some undefined thread binding humanity. It also assumes the longevity and continuity in the institutional form and function of the trust institution itself. It ignores the fact that behavioural science has shown individuals to be motivated by the local – both in time and space – and fails to question whether conflict within and between societies threatens what uniform moral standards might exist. The details of Brown Weiss’s institution are, if anything, more problematic than its broad strokes. From a practical perspective, trust law does not exist in most countries outside the common law tradition. Even assuming that countries could overcome this impediment and accept the Planetary Trust institution, there are clear limitations on the extent to which the trust, as an institution, can facilitate intergenerational justice in a coordinated institutional manner, across political, economic, legal and geographic borders. Most importantly, in order for a trust to exist, an individual or group of individuals must want to act as settlors, that is, they must want to create a trust. In the context of the Planetary Trust, the significance of the will or intention of would-be settlors cannot be underestimated. A trust cannot be imposed upon a potential settlor. Secondly, under the common law, future property (for example expected future inheritance) cannot be owned or held on trust. Thus, trust property must be limited to existing property. It is unlikely that the planet, as an evolving system; a moveable feast, could be so narrowly defined. Finally, idea that a trust as complex as the Planetary Trust Brown Weiss describes could be implied from ‘diverse human cultural and religious traditions’ is so far-fetched that it might be better described as a hopeful rumination than constitutive of an institution. Indeed, it is unclear whether Brown Weiss intended this concept to be taken as anything more than a moral or ethical construct, but she did acknowledge the potential for a more formal institution: [w]hile no affirmative action need be taken to create the Planetary Trust as a moral obligation, to have legal force it must be effectuated by positive law. Thus, the members of each generation must confer legal status on the trust by enacting and enforcing positive laws affirming their obligation to future generations. Beyond the impracticability of the Planetary Trust concept lies a more serious flaw in the theoretical fabric of the Planetary Trust concept: the notion of the Planetary Trust sidesteps the (real) risk of intergenerational conflict between current and future beneficiaries of the trust. The maintenance of environmental resources for future generations may require the restriction of the current generation’s access to these resources. In such situations, Planetary Trustees would be forced to choose between the interests of their own generation (often vociferously present) and future generations (largely unrepresented). While Brown Weiss notes that the ‘dual role of trustee and beneficiary creates conflicts’, she does not offer a way of transcending this conflict other than evoking (once again) the natural relationship and commitment between one generation and its children. Even if plausible, in some quarters, it is not adequate as a means of joining generations many years removed, or those who are geographically and culturally distant. Obviously lacking in the Planetary Trust is a means by which people are able to give voice to their interests – assuming they have interests other than the shared welfare of their children. Comparison with defined benefit pension schemes The Planetary Trust institution bears a striking resemblance to funded pension schemes and especially defined benefit pension funds, which have, in recent years, revealed themselves to be largely unsustainable from a financial perspective. These schemes are trust funds set up by companies, organisations, or industries to provide an income to employees and their survivors after they retire. In defined benefit funds, employers agree to set aside a certain portion of employees’ current wages and pay them a certain income upon their retirement. As a result, employers bear the risks of the invested trust fund; if it underperforms against estimated liabilities, the employer has to reach into its own pocket in order to make up the deficit.In many plans, younger, middle-aged, and older generations of workers co-exist together, paying in their contributions with the employer or sponsor as those retired draw their entitled benefits. It functions well as long as no generation exploits the others, and the background sponsor remains solvent with respect to assumed liabilities and current contributions and obligations. As such, it can be a self-perpetuating trust joining the interests of different generations in their long-term welfare. Like the Planetary Trust concept, pension funds in common law legal systems are based on trust law. They have fund capital (that is, a pool of capital produced by the company or organisation creating the pension scheme), beneficiaries (employees of the company or organisation), trustees, trust purpose s, and evidence of the intention of the trust when created. These elements differ in fact from those Brown Weiss described with respect to the Planetary Trust, but from a conceptual point of view they are closely aligned. For instance, while the current beneficiaries of a defined benefit pension fund are ascertainable, being past or present employees of the company or organisation, the institution functions on the assumption that it will continue to accept new members not yet determined at the time the trust is created. Whereas all people are trustees of the Planetary Trust, the trustees of pension plans are representatives of those participating in the fund. Pension plans are bound by a trust deed; the Planetary Trust is presumably bound by a social contract which may have as much force if implicit as it would have if explicit. In addition to these structural similarities, defined benefit funds face a similar challenge to the Planetary Trust concept with respect to the management of conflicting intergenerational interests within the fund. It is arguable that the defined benefit pension fund institution has failed in the UK and the US in part because younger generations of workers have not valued the institution as highly as older generations of workers. Where salary-sacrifices have been asked of younger participants, they have opted, more often than not, for alternative forms of retirement saving that favour the short-term over the long-term. By contrast, older workers facing the same claim for resources have opted to make the sacrifices necessary to realise their long-term interests. Thus in general, older participants value the future far more than younger participants. Here, the trust institution contains competing interests which are nominally bound together by a shared commitment to the future. More subtly but perhaps more insidiously, short-term biases in trustees and asset managers lead them to focus on the short-term performance of a fund (either defined benefit pension fund or Planetary Trust). In practice, this strengthens the position of the generation of beneficiaries that benefits more immediately from the trust fund compared to those set to benefit in the future. Here, there are two options for trust funds with implications for the Planetary Trust. In the absence of common agreement over current sacrifices, the trust institution, through its trustees, may have to override some interests in favour of the notional ‘common good’. If this does not work the state which underwrites the formal status and legitimacy of the trust (in the sense that it facilitates the justice system as a whole) may intervene to enforce the common good, whatever it is determined to be. By this assessment, the Achilles heel of the Planetary Trust, like defined benefit pension funds, is its vulnerability to government intervention. If we rely on external sources to overcome the tensions within the trust fund, then the purposes of the trust, vested in the responsibilities of its trustees, are less sacrosanct. Granting the possibility that the enforcement of the Planetary Trust would require a government to intervene on behalf of future citizens, would the Planetary Trust be effective as a long-term investor on our behalf? The experience of the Murray Darling Basin suggests that the government would much more reliably intervene on behalf of current generations: its constituency. Next Page – Testing the Planetary Trust Previous Page – VI. Investing in the Future

12 Hilarious ‘Billy Madison’ Quotes

12 Hilarious ‘Billy Madison’ Quotes If you are the kind who cannot tolerate Adam Sandlers over-the-top kind of comedy, stay off this one. Billy Madison is a signature Adam Sandler movie, complete with in-your-face ribald humor. He has the ability to be hilarious in an annoying sort of way. But if you enjoy  movies  that are high on  sexual innuendo, Billy Madison is the right movie for you. Unlike Jim Carrey, Sandler does not rely on goofy antics to draw an audience. He comes across as the funny guy caught between two raging seas. In Billy Madison, Adam Sandler redefines idiot as he portrays Billy Madison. Yet your heart goes out to him because you know that idiotic people are hardly malicious. Billy Madison is a favorite among the younger audience. Kids connect with this child-like adult, who knows and understands the challenges of being a kid.   Read these Billy Madison quotes to understand why kids find this  movie a laugh riot. Billys exaggerated behavior, the weird magazines he reads, and his other silly acts are very enjoyable. Adam Sandlers comic timing in this movie is undoubtedly one of his best. Chris Farley and Norm MacDonald add to the fun. Here are some memorable Billy Madison quotes. PrincipalMr. Madison, what youve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.Billy MadisonBack to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that Im not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I dont get in a fight. Oh! Back to school... back to school... back to school. Well, here goes nothing.​EricWell, sorry doesnt put the Triscuit crackers in my stomach now, does it Karl?Lunch LadyHave some more sloppy Joes. I made em extra sloppy for yous. I know how yous kids like em sloppy.Billy MadisonSometimes I feel like an idiot. But I am an idiot, so it kinda works out.JuanitaIf youre gonna stay home today, you can help me shave my armpits!Billy MadisonI am the smartest man alive!JuanitaOoh that boys a fine piece of work all right. Hes a fine piece of ass though, too.Old LadyWhat is a horseshoe? What does a horseshoe do? Are there any horse socks? Is anybody listening to me?Old Farm LadyIf peeing in your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.Brian MadisonYou were brought up with every advantage. I bought you everything. Toys, cars, vacations, clothes...FrankWhen I graduated from first grade, all my dad did was tell me to get a job.

Much Ado About Nothing Coursework

Much Ado About Nothing Coursework Much Ado About Nothing Coursework Much Ado About Nothing Coursework Much Ado About Nothing is the comedy written by the genius of writing, William Shakespeare. The comedy presents Claudio and Hero, a pair of lovers, who are going to married in one week. Nevertheless, their wedding is planned to be sabotaged. Writing Much Ado About Nothing coursework, you need to decide on the specific topic and explore is thoroughly. Below are several themes of the comedy you may want to explore. In addition, down this page you will the links to the reliable sources of information on the comedy. Moreover, there is a short excerpt from the custom written Much Ado About Nothing coursework. Finally, you may rely on our professional coursework writers and get a customized help with writing. In other words, you may request our writers for professional individual assistance with Much Ado About Nothing coursework writing. Much Ado About Nothing Topic Ideas Opposite Sex Infidelity Deception Trust/Distrust Much Ado About Nothing CourseworkExcerpt If the tale of Hero and the slanderous tongues is structurally the backbone of Much Ado About Nothing, it is none the less clear that it is far from exhausting the dramatic interest of the play. Side by side with the tragicomic theme arranged to trap your emotions, there is also a theme of pure comedy lying in wait for your laughter in the paradox of the relations between Hero's cousin Beatrice and Claudio's friend Benedick. In the working out of the action Beatrice and Benedick come to figure even more largely than Claudio and Hero themselves; and from their names, it may be noted, the play seems at an early date to have derived an alternative title. Beatrice and Benedick are jesters at love, caught in the net of love and condemned in the face of all men's mockery to betray themselves as the inconceivably ready victims of the divinity, whose colours they have flouted and whose reasonable service they have forsworn. Such are the chosen sport of the comic spirit, whose virtue it alway s is, through the garlands of laughter with which it bedecks the surface of life, to lay its finger upon the follies and absurdities of those who hold themselves aloof from the natural and wholesome laws which lie at the foundations of life. Shakespeare had handled the theme before, when he drew in Love's Labour's Lost the picture of the Eveless Eden of Navarre, whose flaming bulwarks fell at the first flutter of a troop of approaching petticoats. Berowne and Rosaline are but faint sketches beside Benedick and Beatrice. Shakespeare came to Much Ado About Nothing, which some believe to be Love's Labour's Won, with a far finer sense for the delicious entanglements of intrigue, and a ripened humour which makes the eaves-dropping scenes in Leonato's orchard a joy for ever. This one may maintain, and yet be willing to admit that the wit-combats of the protagonists sometimes leave one aghast at the Elizabethan notion of repartee, and inspire a firm conviction that no element in human cult ure is quite so fleeting in its transformations as the sense of what is funny in the give and take of dialogue. Benedick entreats Beatrice to remain obdurate in her desire never to hear a man swear he loves her, since 'so some gentleman or other shall 'scape a predestinate scratched face'; and the lady retorts, 'Scratching could not make it worse, and 't were such a face as yours were.' With such subtle quart and tierce of mind did they cross the dialectic foils in Messina If you found this post useful, you may proceed to read anotherreligious coursework: Read also: English Literature Coursework Drama Coursework Help AS Biology Coursework Write a College Term Paper Student Essay Help

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

The Internet - Essay Example The World Wide Web is ccessible vi the Internet, s re mny other services including e-mil, file shring, nd others described below. Virtully ll of the services nd products relted to the Internet were originlly defined to stisfy demnds emnting from the cdemic nd reserch world. We re only just entering into the er where the min driving force for new developments is coming from the commercil sector. The originl users of the Internet were drwn from nrrow segment of the populce. They hve recently been joined by the new genertion of users with wider rnge of bckgrounds thn cdemi nd reserch. The club-like nture of the Internet is fst disppering s the ese nd cost of ccess mkes it ccessible to much greter udience. (John, 2001) The two Internet pplictions tht re most likely, in the short term, to hve n impct on the non-IT mnger re e-mil nd the world wide web (WWW). E-mil provides very simple nd effective wy of sending both simple text messges nd computer files (for exmple spredsheets nd word processed documents) to one or number of recipients. The WWW enbles individuls nd orgnistions to provide globl udience with full gmut of multimedi informtion tht cn be ccessed esily. ... The WWW enbles individuls nd orgnistions to provide globl udience with full gmut of multimedi informtion tht cn be ccessed esily. The benefits of ll of these Internet services re vilble t locl telecommunictions chrge rtes. The Internet's potentil to chnge the wy we conduct business is only just beginning to be understood. lredy it is cler tht mngers must orientte their thinking to dpt to the opportunities (nd threts) tht re being creted. 3. Security on the Internet Internet security, or more ccurtely the lck of it, is one of the topics most likely to generte concerned comment from the press. The volume of medi coverge given to computer hckers nd the potentil dmge they cn cuse, tends to be out of proportion to the relity of the sitution. This not to suggest tht the issue of security is not extremely importnt. When breches occur they cn cuse finncil loss nd severe embrrssment. The British Lbour Prty, currently forming the UK government, ws forced to close its WWW site temporrily becuse of mlicious tmpering with the contents. (Hrtmn, ckermnn, 2005) n inventive mind hd chnged both the text nd grphics with the im of cusing severe embrrssment. There hve lso been mny instnces where finncil institutions hve suffered finncil loss due to their security being compromised, lthough losses re very smll when compred to other sources of frud. 4. dvntges of the Internet The Internet hs the potentil to deliver unique set of business benefits over nd bove existing IT technologies. There re number of resons for this: 1. It is simple to use compred to most of the ppliction softwre tht we normlly encounter in the business environment. This ese of use spns the different types of computer nd operting system

Focused Scenario Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Focused Scenario - Case Study Example Since the patient complaints of pain, history of present illness (HPI) should include the severity, onset and duration of the pain as well as aggravating and relieving factors. Any change in testicular size, irregular lumps, soreness or heaviness of the testes should also be asked. Any medication/s taken by the patient for the pain such as analgesics or antibiotics is also important. Past medical history (PMHx) should include any history of STD's, single or multiple infections, treatment and residual problems, if applicable as well as concomitant diseases like Diabetes Mellitus or for any neurologic or vascular impairment (Seidel, et.al, 2006). Relevant to ask in the Family History are infertilities in siblings, history of penile, prostate and testicular cancer and hernias (Siedel, et.al, 2006). Information as to the social history should also include past or present use of alcohol, drugs and cigarette. Since the patient rides a bike everyday and engages in physical sports (softball) , the use of protective gear on his genital area should be asked. The patient's sexual history should include the number of sexual partners, condom usage, sexual lifestyle (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual) and questions as to any change in the frequency of sexual desire or activity and change in sexual response (e.g.

Operation Management - Honda Atlas Motors Essay Example for Free

Operation Management Honda Atlas Motors Essay COMPANY Profile Atlas Honda Limited (AHL) is a joint venture of two companies the Atlas Group and Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Japan. This company was created in 1988. The company is currently manufacturing motorcycles and auto parts. Honda motorcycles are the largest selling motorcycles in the country with matchless reputation for impressive quality, reliability and its customer service. Atlas has the country’s largest in-house manufacturing capability at its Karachi and Sheikhupura plants. AHL management is striving to modernize company operations by adapting applicable aspects of research and theory and more specifically, Honda’s unique philosophy of hard/soft technologies to the realities of Pakistani conditions. Company management structure, systems and processes are changed according to the demands of the customer, growth and new technology. Efforts are being made to develop participation at all levels of personnel in decision-making and a substantial and effective delegation has been established at levels where applicable. Various participation programs such as ‘Ala Mayar’ Quality Circles movement, launched in 1985, are strongly encouraged to allow constructive self-expression and teamwork. Atlas Honda is playing a pioneering role in creating conditions for easy and confident use of motorcycles all over the country. A vast and growing network of over 1600 motorcycles sales service and spare parts dealers has been established. In order to back up this system, Atlas has set up Technical Training Centers in Karachi and Lahore, which provide several courses of varying duration and complexity for motorcycle mechanics and users each year. Mobile training facilities take the latest know-how, technology and maintenance of motorcycles to major rural and urban centers around the country. STRATEGIC GOALS Customers * Our customers are the reason and the source of our business. It is our joint aim with our dealers to ensure that our customers enjoy the highest level of satisfaction from use of Honda Motorcycles . Quality * To ensure that our products and services meet the set standards of excellence. Local Manufacturing * To be the industry leader in indigenization of motorcycles parts. Technology * To develop and maintain distinct business advantages through continuous induction of improved hard and soft technologies. Shareholders * To ensure health and viability of business and thus safeguarding shareholders interest by maximizing profit. Payments of regular satisfactory dividends and adding value to the shares. Employees * To enhance and continuously up-date each members capabilities and education and to provide an environment which encourages practical expression of the individuals potential in goal directed team efforts and compensate them attractively according to their abilities and performance. Corporate Citizens * To comply with all government laws and regulation, to maintain high standard of ethics in all operations and to act as a responsible members of the community. BUSINESS ISSUES IMPACT High Price of Products Difficult to maintain high quality production at high market demand Complexity in coordination and communication among facilities, vendors and two geographical locations i.e. Karachi and Sheikhupura plants Slow response or long lead-time from the vendors

Whats Really Being Tested in The Clerks Tale? :: Chaucer Canterbury Tales

By any contemporary standards of behavior, Griselda actions are reprehensible; not only does she relinquish all semblances of personal volition, she deserts all duties of maternal guardianship as she forfeits her daughter and son to the--in so far as she knows--murderous intent of her husband. Regardless of what we think of her personal subservience to Walter, the surrendering of her children is a hard point to get around. Even the ever-testing Marquis himself, at his wife's release of their second child says he would have suspected her of malice and hardness of her heart had he not known for sure that she loved her children (IV 687-95). It is little wonder our students, in whom we try to foster a sense of personal responsibility and human sensitivity, initially find Griselda an insipid and morally reprehensible wimp. But we retrieve patient Griselda for them. Or at least we try. We say "this tale is not about a real woman: look, it is in rhyme royal. That meant something special to Chaucer. The tale's stanzaic form signals a tale of high moral, even religious, sentence; its flat characterization and formulaic epitaphs distance Griselda and Walter from real people." Then bowing toward Petrarch and siding with the Clerk, we say this tale is not about wives' duties to their husbands; it is about the duty of the human soul to God. As Griselda was to the tests inflicted upon her by Walter, so should we be to the adversities visited upon us by God. And so is Griselda redeemed for real women. But is she--really? If we look very carefully at the language used as Walter frames the rationales for his intent for testing Griselda, we find that it is not for the proving of her pre-marital vow per se that he put her thorough his series of contemptible and humiliating ordeals. True to its title, Petrarch's A Legend of Wifely Obedience and Faith (De Obedientia ac Fide Uxoria Mythologia) clearly and consistantly pictures Walter testing his wife for her fidelity and conjugal love promised before their marriage. Chaucer's Walter, however, more often frames his designs as trials of "sadnesse," "corage," or, ultimately, "wommanheede" (IV 452, 787, 1075). The result is that in the Clerk's tale, Griselda is tested not so much for her marital fidelity as she is for her womanly virtue. And the implications of this may be as frightening as the thought of a mother adandoning her children to the hands of a murderer.

No Smoking Allowed On the Job or Off Case Study Analysis Essay

Should employers have the right to ban or restrict smoking by their employees at the workplace? Why do you think so? As is the case with OSHA, employees have the right to a safe and healthy workplace. Since smoking impedes on that right, I do believe that employers have the right to ban or restrict employee smoking at the workplace. Second hand smoke is a serious issue, one that is often overlooked by smokers. Nonsmokers have the right to not be exposed to something that they choose not to engage in. It is unfair for employees to be exposed to health risks that they are not personally subjecting themselves to. Additionally, there is some responsibility on the workplace to ensure that added level of a safe and healthy environment. Since exposure to smoke is a health hazard, choosing to restrict or ban it cannot be seen as a violation of personal rights. 2.Should employers have the right to restrict or ban smoking by employees off the job, as Weyco did? Why do you think so? I was torn on this situation as I am a firm believer in personal rights. But considering the added health costs the employer must ensue for their smoking employees, shouldn’t they have the right to say no! I do think that employers should have the right to restrict or ban smoking off the job if it meets certain criteria. For starters, employees must be given ample notification or if the rule is already in place, be notified in advance of applying to the organization. Next, it is important that existing employees affected by the change, as was the case at Weyco, be given the tools and opportunity to quit. I feel 15 months was an ample amount of time, given the tools the organization supplied, to make lifestyle changes if one chose to. Finally, I think there should be ongoing support to educate and assist with the process. There are definitely certain industries that I believe should invoke this. A good example of this would be healthcare providers. Do you know how many times I see the nurse who is going to be assisting me at the hospital or clinic outside smoking cigarettes? I’ve actually seen oncologists smoking outside the hospital – people who fight for lives that have been affected medically by smoking†¦it enrages me. Thus, I do believe that hospitals should only employ nonsmokers. I must admit when I have to walk through a cloud of smoke to get to work, it infuriates me. I guess you might get a very different answer to these questions if you asked a smoker. 3.Should the government regulate smoking at work? If so, what would be the best public policy? Why do you think so? The simple solution to the problem would be to allow the government to regulate smoking at work. By offering public policy that mandated certain industries have to employ smoke free employees, banning all indoor smoking at work, igniting strict parameters on those industries allowed to have smokers, and continuing to penalize employees from a health insurance perspective – the government could greatly help deter or control costs surrounding this awful habit. A possible consideration would be to make smokers fully pay for their own health insurance. If they saw the added cost they have on their employer maybe they would rethink their options. 4.Should multinational firms have a single corporate policy on smoking in the workplace, or vary their policies depending on local laws and norms of behavior in various countries where they do business? Again, this is a question I was thoroughly torn on. Having taken many global business courses, I recognize the importance of doing business according to the local laws and norms. In my opinion the health hazards imposed by smoking and exposure to second hand smoke remain constant regardless of location, local law or behavioral norms. However, it becomes difficult to do business in countries where you invoke rules and regulations that go against what the social norms are. Unfortunately I think if you go against the grain in other countries you are more likely to hit resistance and be unable to find employees to work for you. Although, I also believe to be fair to US employees, national locations should be treated the same. My organization is owned by a Dutch based company and they often invoke policies that seem odd here in the US, but they blanket all decisions across all locations. I can’t decide which makes more sense. My business hat says no they should not have a single policy but my human resources hat says yes they should.

Brindis Speech

The speech was Rizal’s toast to the triumph of Juan Luna’s Spolarium and Felix Hidalgo’s Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al populacho in their work of arts whose works illuminates two ends of the globe: East and West (Spain and the Philippines). It’s about the acknowledgement and thanking them for the pride and glory they gave to the Filipinos. But most of all, he gives praise to those youth’s actions that can make a difference and contribute to the glory of the Philippines.He wanted to make the people realize that glory doesn’t based to a country alone. What he wanted to prove is that geniuses bloom and sprout all over the world with its own uniqueness, talents, and intelligence. No one needs to have same culture and the greatness of a country, but the real talent comes to their works. What he takes jab are elites who does everything just to stop the education system among filipinos because they are afraid that they might learn to defend.I n the speech he made, there are values and lessons he teach us that can be applied in a real world up until now such as mentioning geniuses can be born and made anytime and anywhere. No one has the right to judge or put down a person because anyone can be great. He also said that Spain and Philippines are equal, no greater nor slaves. Dr. Jose Rizal is great because he discussed bravely what the Spaniards are afraid of: EDUCATION of the filipinos but what he focused more is to inspire filipinos and prove how worthy a nation can be.

Jealousy in the Open Window by Saki Essay Example

Jealousy in the Open Window by Saki Essay Example Jealousy in the Open Window by Saki Paper Jealousy in the Open Window by Saki Paper â€Å"The Open Window† is the story of a deception did on an unsuspecting, and constitutionally nervous man, by a young lady whose motivations for lying remain unclear. That is Vera, the center of the case in this story. A â€Å"very self-possessed young lady of fifteen,† Described as a girl who has bad manner to other people. She doesn’t have parents and lives with her aunt and her uncle in a country beyond the luxurious city life. Starting from her childhood, she is an attention-starved individual who seeks love and recognition from her parents. Her loneliness is filled by her aunt warm love and attention. It’s suspected that her abandonment and subsequent loneliness influenced her character, but never do I imagine just how much it fractured her. She grows as a girl who likes making up her words, like doing deception to another. The beginning of Vera’s deception starts with Mr. Nuttel coming. He is suffering from an undisclosed nervous illness, has been encouraged to seek refuge in the country. Vera, who starved for attention and love, was too afraid of Mr Nuttel for stealing her aunt attention and care, her only one love she has. I conclude that this kind of deception comes as a reaction to her jealousy. B. JEALOUSY IN PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEW Furthermore, I come up with jealousy as the center of the case in this analysis. Jealousy what I concern about is jealousy especially in the children. Here, Vera’s jealousy is interesting topic to be analyzed more. The jealousy in this case comes as a reaction of Mr. Nuttel’s coming. Jealousy is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, such as a relationship, friendship, or love. Jealousy often consists of a combination of emotions such as anger, sadness, and disgust. It is not to be confused with envy. It’s described clearly that what Vera did by making up the story about the Open Window is a kind of thing that shows jealousy to Mr. Nuttel. One of the theorist said: Jealousy is defined as a protective reaction to a perceived threat to a valued relationship, arising from a situation in which the partners involvement with an activity and/or another person is contrary to the jealous persons definition of their relationship. (Bevan, 2004, page 195) Vera’s jealousy stimulates her to do the bad things to Mr. Nuttel. She is trying to arrange a fiction story about her aunt family in order to make Mr. Nuttel goes away from her house. Vera told a huge lie about how Mrs. Sappleton’s family had been missing for three years. It is this story, the death of some relatives who went hunting long ago, causes Mr. Nuttel’s breakdown. She tells Nuttel that the window is left open as a sign of her aunt’s hope that the dead hunters will one day come home and provides a detailed description of the men, their behavior and clothes. Out through that window, three years ago to a day, her husband and her two young brothers went off for their days shooting. They never came back. In crossing the moor to their favorite snipe-shooting ground they were all three engulfed in a treacherous piece of bog. It had been that dreadful wet summer, you know, and places that were safe in other years gave way suddenly without warning. Their bodies were never recovered. That was the dreadful part of it. Here the childs voice lost its self-possessed note and became falteringly human. Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back someday, they and the little brown spaniel that was lost with them, and walk in at that window just as they used to do. That is why the window is kept open every evening till it is quite dusk. Poor dear aunt, she has often told me how they went out, her husband with his white waterproof coat over his arm, and Ronnie, her youngest brother, singing Bertie, why do you bound? as he always did to tease her, because she said it got on her nerves. Do you know, sometimes on still, quiet evenings like this, I almost get a creepy feeling that they will all walk in through that window The quotation for this analysis is all about Vera’s saying to Mr. Nuttel. All she said is only a lie. A lie that was created as a reaction of jealousy. From the author’s point of view, he refers to Vera as â€Å"self-possessed,† which literally means that she has self-control and poise. In the context of this story, it is clear that this is the quality that allows her to lie so well. Vera’s self-possession allows her to maintain a cool head and calm belief while relating that most strange of tales. This kind of deception Vera made is the further action she made as the reaction of her jealousy. In her manipulation of the adults, Vera demonstrates a view that â€Å"children have no power worth the name except their lies and retreats into fantasy. From the source I’ve read (Wikipedia. org), the experience of jealousy involves: fear of loss, suspicion or anger about betrayal, low self-esteem and sadness over loss, uncertainty and loneliness, fear of losing an important person to an attractive other, distrust. Based on the explanation, what Vera did is indicated that she is suffering jealousy. She is fear of loss, low self-esteem and sadness over loss, uncertainty and loneliness, and fear of losing an important person that is her aunt’s attention. The effect of jealousy itself isn’t really good in the process of forming Vera’s character. She becomes an unkind girl who likes making up her words. Furthermore, jealousy in children and teenagers like Vera’s suffer has been observed more often in those with low self-esteem and can cause aggressive reactions. These aggressive reactions often created a bad action from them. One such study suggested that developing intimate friends can be followed by emotional insecurity and loneliness in some children when those intimate friends interact with others. Jealousy linked to aggression and low self-esteem. All what I mentioned above shows clearly that Vera is suffering jealousy. C. CONCLUSION Jealousy is defined as a protective reaction to a perceived threat to a valued relationship. It is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, such as a relationship, friendship, or love. Jealousy often consists of a combination of emotions such as anger, sadness, and disgust. losing Furthermore, jealousy in children and teenagers like Vera’s suffer has been observed more often in those with low self-esteem and can cause aggressive reactions. These aggressive reactions often created a bad action from them. The way to overcome this kind of problem is by let them to honestly express their feelings about one another. Dont downplay a childs feelings, or try talking them out of feeling the way they say they feel. Children feel their parents understand those best when their feelings are acknowledged. Source: Rena Korb, for Short Stories for Students, Gale Research, 1997. Thomas March, for Short Stories for Students, Gale Research, 1997. The open window (criticism): information from Answers. com The Wikipedia. org

Generosity The Key to Good Business and Good Relationships

Generosity The Key to Good Business and Good Relationships The privilege of writing for peoples lives One of my loyal clients (I will him call Dan) came to me last week with a personal project, a letter expressing his love to a dear friend that he needed edited the same day. Dan suggested a price point of $40-$60. Since he is a valued client and someone I expect to work with for a long time, and because I felt incredibly privileged to read this heartfelt letter, I told him $40 would be fine. I edited the letter and sent it to him, and he was very happy with the result. The report is that the recipient cried (in a good way). Unexpected generosity The next thing I knew, I had received $50 in my PayPal account: $10 and 25% more than I had quoted to Dan. â€Å"You deserve every penny,† he wrote. This surprise overpayment scenario has happened once before. When I forgot to bill a client for all the services he had received, I called him to tell him I had made a mistake. He very graciously agreed to pay for the unbilled service and to send a check that week. Two weeks later I had not received his payment, so I wrote to him to let him know. When I received the check, it was for $25 more than the amount of the invoice. A thank you note was enclosed, appreciating some â€Å"extra† work we had done for his LinkedIn summary that was beyond our usual service. Whats at the source of giving? There are some commonalities between these two true stories that struck me: In both situations, I had given something to the clients in the past that was above and beyond their expectations. Rather than push to make an extra buck, I took care of the client. In scenario #1, I had charged a lower rate than the client was initially willing to pay; in scenario #2, I had previously reduced a bill based on a misunderstanding. In neither situation did I offer what I offered with any expectation of getting something back. Both clients were very happy with the results they received. Both clients were business leaders who excelled at building teams and taking care of their people. As a relatively new business owner myself (and as a human being), taking care of people is a muscle I am constantly working to build. Having no children, I rely on my clients for opportunities to practice generosity- to â€Å"do the right thing.† I have many such opportunities (or challenges, depending on how you frame them). My clients, especially ones like the above who are already successful in business, are great teachers. The challenge the risk the gift Here’s the truth of the matter: If I am completely honest, I must own up to the fact that a part of me wants to get paid as much as possible, avoid â€Å"loss† at all costs, and essentially make demands that will benefit me in the short term. But good business is about relationships, and about the long term. So the part of myself that I listen to is the part that knows exactly what to do to create good will. This part knows that good will is more valuable than a quick buck. It does not worry about being taken advantage of. It does not worry at all, in fact. It simply does what’s right. Do I ever get taken advantage of for my generosity? Well yes. I have given people the benefit of the doubt and provided services without getting paid, and then had the client not pay. Recently I worked two hours for a client after she had paid me for one, and then she charged back the payment on her credit card. I do what I can to prevent these situations from happening; I require payment up front and always aim to deliver above and beyond expectations. And for my valued clients especially, I find ways to make them feel appreciated and cared for. In exchange, every once in a while I am gifted with a short-term benefit as well as a long-term one. But it’s the long-term benefits that matter: Referrals from happy clients, repeat customers, and my integrity intact. These are the results I truly care about, and that will sustain my business for years to come. 🙂 Log in to Reply Lisa says: June 13, 2012 at 6:28 am Michael (and of course to the beloved author, Brenda) the muscle metaphor really resonated with me too while appreciating such an authentic prose that clearly allowed us a glimpse into the heart of The Essay Expertthank you for the gift of this message, Brenda! So many quotes, befitting of you have come to my mind since you have bestowed your gifts and talents for our familys gain and benefit one of those I just recently shared with you and yet, I cant help but be reminded of another great author who countless thousands acknowledge the great debt they owe Og Mandino for the miracle his words have wrought in their livesthose would be my words for you Brenda to describe what the pen to your hand has done in the lives of our family! Og Mandino, best selling author of The Greatest Salesman in the World, University of Success, The Greatest Secret in the World and A Better Way to Live, must know you and wanted to convey your character through instruction to others when he wrote: Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again. Thank you Brenda for all the tireless, creative and extraneous efforts that I know you come no where near being compensated for nor have built into your service fees that ensure our lives will never be the same againfiguratively and literally! May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back Lisa A. Bissonette Log in to Reply Marcia B says: June 12, 2012 at 10:14 pm Ah, generosity my favorite thing along with gratitude. In my estimation the rest of the world isnt worth much if we lose sight of those two possibilities. Log in to Reply Patty Sherin says: June 13, 2012 at 3:46 pm I love it! Thank you Brenda for writing this article. I see more and more gratitude all around me, and I think its wonderful! What you describe in your article is what we believe in BNI, Givers Gain. When you give to others, you will receive back tenfold. Im on day 24 of my gratitude challenge powered by SendOutCards. Today, Im grateful for you, your integrity and friendship. Thank you. 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Strategic leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic leadership - Essay Example In the process of delivery of services, all stakeholders should be involved actively in carrying out each role without causing delays or failures in the whole system of operation in the company (Baisya, 2010, p.4-7). These plans are the strategies and a company implements them so that it can ensure orderliness in operation as well as proper delegation of duties to different employees at specific times. The process of performance of duties involves different people in the company and ought to contribute to their wellbeing by focusing their effort to fulfil common goals as set out in the company strategies. The goals in a company mark the milestones that all employees should attain to ensure that it can thrive in its environment and compete favourably with its rivals. Companies implement strategies in areas that have potential of boosting the productivity and others areas which need enhancement to contribute positively to high profitability. The company leaders lay down strategies and supervise them to ensure that every employee has a duty, which they can be accountable of, even when other activities take place within or away from the organisational supervisors. In the process of implementation of services, a company may reform some of their strategies to conform to the market need of the prevailing time so as to remain relevant and productive. The leaders in such a company implement such steps so that they can ensure that it remains adaptive to the different environment and ensure it has a competitive advantage over its rivals in similar business competing over similar customers (Unhelkar, Ghanbary and Younessi, 2010, p.57). News Corporation is a media company, which operates in different parts of the world by supplying videos, producing and selling newspapers and other ways of communicating to the public. The company has always adopted different strategies that have enabled it to remain relevant in the market and have served to advance its position in the news industry. The leadership of News Corporation has always drove and enhanced strategies of the company by leading the process of decision making, which lead to taking of various courses of action that ensured its success in all of its activities. News Corporation, through its various stakeholders engaged its leaders, employees and shareholders in making decisions that have had a transforming impact to the company. Through the progress it noted when it implemented changes in its strategies; it recorded differences, noted even in the current time (Watson and Hickman, 2012, p.7). In some occasion in the past, some strategic issues that took place in News Corporation include: adoption of new organisational structures, change of leadership of the company, change of its marketing strategies among other strategies moves it used to ensure that it was productive even when the recessions and other rivalry issues threatened the its economic productivity (Lank, 2006, p.97). In the past News Corpo ration operated as one great company that was determined to establish itself in different issues and that coordinated its activities from one point. In the progress, the company through its owner and the CEO found it necessary to split the company into two integral parts, which would engage themselves in different activities. Following the agreement, between the leaders and the company shareholders, the company split into two independent companies, News Corporation and Fox Group. These companies adopted differen

Is Increasing Profits the Only Social Responsibility of Business Assignment

Is Increasing Profits the Only Social Responsibility of Business - Assignment Example It will also give my opinion as to whether businesses have more to do socially than make profits. As the author of the critical letter points out, both views are relevant in their own right. However, I disagree with an aspect pointed out by Friedman because he contradicts himself. This is when he says that the only social responsibility of businesses is to increase profits provided they are within the law and also without fraud and deception. He further goes on to say that it is not a business’ responsibility to avoid pollution, abolish discrimination and provide employment (Friedman, 1970). That is a very irresponsible statement from Friedman because committing the three acts he has highlighted is not within the law for a business. Being an artificial person does not absolve a business from its responsibilities to the society in which it operates. Conversely, my opinion is that Porter and Kramer are rational in what they believe businesses should do to society. They provide that it is not prudent for businesses to neglect the welfare of the society which forms their customers and suppliers. Letting the environment degrade by, for example, not avoiding pollution, as suggested by Friedman, depletes natural resources critical to businesses and the society (Porter & Kramer, 2011). I also agree with Porter and Kramer that although businesses need to take the initiative to bring society and themselves back together, they are stuck in thoughts that social responsibility is not at the core of business but at the periphery. I believe it is in the best interest of businesses to be surrounded by a healthy society, and they should consider society as a key resource to their businesses. The idea of shared value may be costly for businesses to initiate and implement, but once in place, it will be mutually profitable to them and society and generations that are yet to come (Porter & Kramer, 2011). In conclusion, businesses, and Friedman, must

Doubt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Doubt - Essay Example The play has utilized many symbols to represent certain elements which either constitute or supplement the core theme of the play. The title of the play itself is ideally framed to contain the key theme that the play intends to communicate. The subtitle ‘parable’ communicates to the audience that it has an inner symbolic message to convey. The whole play is casted in the background of the Catholicism. The play starts with Father Flynn delivering the holy sermon. The pulpit which is set on the stage, ideally serves as a symbol of Catholicism, which is the foundation of the play. However, two very important identifiable symbols used in the play are the rigid and strict approach of Sister Aloysius and one another symbol is the unconventional behavior of Father Flynn as a priest. Quite often in the play Sister Aloysius is found arguing or stating a point strongly. In either case she is found with her fists closed. This is a symbol to represent how closed the existing system was. It is notable throughout the play that Sister Aloysius is very dedicated towards the students. She is portrayed as a very strict principal who is very rigid on each and everything which happens in the school and with the students. Authoritativeness is her norm of teaching. She is a symbol of a system which works on set norms and does not divert from those.

Improving Sustainability at General Electric (GE)

Improving Sustainability at General Electric (GE) INTRODUCTION The General Electric Company (GE from henceforth) is an American Multinational Conglomerate founded in 1892 by the merger of American Inventor Thomas Alva Edisons Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company .GE currently operates simultaneously in five diverse business sectors namely: Energy (e.g. oil and gas), Media (as NBC Universal in areas such as cable and film), Technology Infrastructure (e.g. Aviation and Healthcare), Home and Business Solutions(Appliances and Intelligent platforms) and Finance ( as GE Capital involved in both commercial and consumer finance). GE currently has businesses in about 160 countries and about 300,000 employees around the globe. The companys headquarters is located at 3135 Easton Turnpike, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. As a global conglomerate GE has had a controversial history with regards to air and water pollution dating back to the late 1940s and had always been a target of criticism from public officials and environmentalists in the US. However, things took a turn for the better when on the 9th of May, 2005 GEs CEO Jeffery Immelt announced the companys new environmental initiative called Ecomagination. In Mr Immelts words, the aim of the initiative is to focus our unique energy, technology, manufacturing, and infrastructure capabilities to develop tomorrows solutions such as solar energy, hybrid locomotives, fuel cells, lower-emission aircraft engines, lighter and stronger materials, efficient lighting, and water purification technology. As can be observed, the adoption of such an initiative was very bold especially given the large size of GE and it numerous businesses around the globe; nevertheless, the initiative was implemented across the entire company and is currently in its sixth year of operation. As Ecomagination is GEs main sustainability programme, the documents retrieved from the company and used for the purpose of this workbook are in the form of Annual Sustainability Reports which are publicly available at the Ecomagination website (http://ge.ecomagination.com/report.html). The reports are currently available for the years 2005 to 2009 in PDF format and can be downloaded and viewed by the public. IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY AT GE As mentioned in the introduction, GE has sought to quell criticism of its environmental records and improve its sustainability by implementing a company-wide sustainability initiative launched in 2005 called Ecomagination. The initiative encompasses an array of changes and commitments forming a broad strategy that is implemented with the aim of not just making GE a global leader in terms of sustainability, but also with the accompanying belief that commitment towards sustainable practices, products and services will give GE a competitive advantage and is therefore worth the effort and any initial costs. In order to achieve its goals of becoming a more sustainable company and to increase their overall sustainability performance, GE through Ecomagination has committed to taking the following concrete steps: Reduce water use and improve water reuse: As of 2006 GEs freshwater was totalling about 15.3 billion gallons and so the company announced its goal of cutting consumption by 20% by 2012. By 2009, GEs water usage was down 30% to about10.7 billion gallons which further prompted the company to set a modified goal of aiming for a 25% reduction by 2015. One way GE was able to reduce its freshwater consumption was by conducting Kaizen blitz water reduction events at three of the largest consumption sites;according to GE reports, the Kaizan approach employs multi-functional teams tasked with spending a concentrated week studying water usage at a given facility with the ultimate aim of developing water reduction projects. Double investments in clean Research and Development: At the launch of Ecomagination, GE committed to increase its RD spending on clean technologies from about $700 million in 2004 to $1.5 billion by 2010; by the end of 2009 a total of about $5 billion had been spent on RD for clean technologies which according to GE reports generated about $70 billion in revenue thanks to the new technologies and products from the Ecomagination initiative. In light of this, in 2010 GE announced a commitment to invest an additional $10 billion in Ecomagination by 2015. Reduce Greenhouse Emissions and improve Energy efficiency of its current operations: At the launch of Ecomagination, setting 2004 as a baseline GE made a commitment to cut 1% of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2012 and reduce the intensity of its GHG emissions 30% by 2008. As of 2011, GE has been successful in cutting GHG emission by 22% and also reduced the intensity of its GHG emissions by 39%. According to GE reports, overall energy intensity has improved by 34% and the company hopes to improve by up to 50% for all its operations by 2015. Increase revenues from Ecomagination products: In 2009, revenues from Ecomagination grew by 6% to about $18 billion despite the financial crisis. GE projects Ecomagination revenues to continue to grow at double the rate of total GE revenues in the next five years and eventually account for a larger proportion of total sales. Communicate with the public: GE has resorted to keeping communication channels open and also engaging more with the public regarding Ecomagination efforts. For example, as part of its $200 million innovation experiment, the company announced the Ecomagination Challenge running from January to March which encourages entrepreneurs, students etc. to present ideas for future clean energy technologies with the top 5 entries to be awarded $100,000 each. GEs STAGE OF CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY Employing the concept of the Six phases of corporate sustainability as mentioned by Dexter Dunphy and Jodie Benveniste in their book entitled Sustainability: The Corporate Challenge of the 21st Century, one would place GE in the strategic sustainability. Specifically, GE is a HS5 in terms of Human Sustainability and simultaneously an ES5 in terms of Ecological sustainability. The justification for place GE in the HS5 category of the strategic sustainability phase has to do with the fact that as a company GE has a well-documented history of human development and training programmes that is part of the GE culture. At the centre of this is John F Welch (Jack) Leadership Development Centre established in 1956 and named after Jack Welch the famous ex-CEO of GE who believed in the principle that a company was only as good as it people. Currently GE invests about $1 billion annually on training and education programmes for GE employees. Now, it could be argued that given GEs long standing commitment to Human sustainability, one should place them as a HS6 (Ideological Commitment Phase); this argument is debateable and for the purpose of this workbook, GE is placed as a HS5 because even though it scores high on development and training, its policies are very strict and its culture very competitive which has led to the consistent termination of the underperforming 20% of its workforce. As a result one could argue that although GE invests much in its people, its culture does not put too much effort in aiding underperformers and simply cuts them off. On the other hand, in terms of Ecological sustainability GE is labelled as an ES5 thanks in large part to the launch of its Ecomgination initiative in 2005. Given the fact that GE is over a century old, its decision to make sustainability in 2005 was bold and historic one and going into the future, one can expect the initiative to be implement across all its business around the globe due in large part to its very strong culture. Put in perspective, as a company GE has progressed through a long phase of active antagonism in its early years, through the indifference phase for most of the 80s and 90s before finally making a strong commitment in 2005 with the announcement of Ecomagination. Recently GE has been very active in the area of sustainability from cutting emissions and water usage to investing in clean technologies and seeking ideas from the public, the company has been ranked on various indices as one of the top five sustainability leaders over the past five years. Also the arg ument could be made that GE should be labelled as an ES6, while true, the fact is that given the large size of a company like GE and its numerous businesses in diverse sectors across the globe its sustainability polices will need time to be fully implemented and assessed. GEs COVERAGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSIONS CLIMATE CHANGE: Taking into account the large size and global reach of GE as a company, climate change can be highlighted as a key issue that poses a challenge for GE moving forward. In light of this fact, as part of the Ecomagination initiative GE has been able to successfully cut its GHG emissions by 22% and also reduced its GHG intensity by 39%, using 2004 as a baseline. Figure 1 below shows the distribution of operational GHG emissions by GE in 2009 according to type : Source: GE GHG Inventory As observed 85% of their emissions are made up of CO2 while 13% are consist of HFCs which are usually emitted during foam-blowing operations at its refrigerator manufacturing plants, in total they accounted for approximately 98% of GEs emissions in that year. In order to tackle the problem GE has established a GHG inventory modelled after the World Resources Institute/World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WRI/WBCSD) protocol. Going by this inventory GE employs the control approach which accounts for GHG emissions over which the Company has control; the protocol is subdivided into three scope categories namely: Scope 1 which accounts for direct GHG emissions from sources under the control of the reporting company, Scope 2 which accounts for indirect emissions imported or purchased electricity, water or steam and finally Scope 3 which accounts for indirect emissions which result from a reporting companys activities but occur from sources belonging to another entity. WATER: As was highlighted earlier on, from 2006 to 2009 GE successfully cut its freshwater consumption by 30% and is on pace for an additional 25% reduction by 2015. . This was achievable through the installation of GE sensing ultrasonic flow meters which was installed at the largest water consumption site. The sensors provided a more accurate measure of the total flow from 2006 and led to the discovery of an overestimation of about 2.2 billion gallons from the figures previously calculated. In addition, more concrete steps were taken to address water usage such as the replacement of single-speed pumps with new variable frequency drive pumps, improved valve operation and as well as the previously mentioned the running of Kaizen blitz water reduction events to name a few. In addition, GE currently has a project underway aimed at reducing its global water usage by about 5%, the project is running at one of its US plants and employs the use of GE water process technology equipment in t he form of nanofilteration and ultrafilteration technologies to recycle and reuse water. In addition, GE has also established a water inventory protocol based on the previously mentioned WRI/WBCSD GHG protocol. As a feature of this, GE employs a control approach and accounts for freshwater use at so called criteria sites. The criteria sites are simply any GE sites that use a total of 15 million gallons or more annually from a 2006 baseline and subsequently. Quality assurance is another measure by GE that has been implemented with the aim of increasing the accuracy of the water use inventory and eliminating and accounting for errors. WASTE MANAGEMENT: In regards to waste management GE gathers data for all of its operations that generate more than 100 metric tons of hazardous waste and/or more than 500 metric tons of non-hazardous industrial waste. Currently there are three broad schemes put in place to specifically address waste management. The first is the Waste Site Qualification Programme (WSQP) which ensures that waste generated by GE is taken through recycling, treatment and disposal facilities that meet GE rigorous environmental and safety standards. The standards require waste management sites to improve their facilities beyond set local standards in order to gain GE approval because GE sites can only use GE approved facilities regardless of the amount of waste they generate. As of 2009 the WSQP programme has been expanded to about 500 GE manufacturing locations globally. Next in GEs waste management scheme are reportable spills through which GE tracks any spill on or from a site that is reportable to regulatory authorities. As of 2005 GE divided the spills into spills/releases to water such as lake, ocean etc. and spills/releases not to water consisting of any other kind(s) of spills. Lastly, GE has an operational leaders Environment, Health, Safety (EHS) training manuals that provide information on how to identify waste reduction opportunities through the use of lean manufacturing technologies. GEs CONTRIBUTION TO WIDER ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE WAGES AND BENEFITS: With GE currently operating in more than 100 countries around the globe, the company is very active in terms of job creation and employee development. As shown in Figure 2 below, taking into account its total global workforce of about 300,000 people in 2009, about 154,000 people were non-US showing its interest in hiring and developing local people. Source: GE Metrics In addition, GE provides benefits to it employees beyond their normal salaries that is aimed at ensuring heir financial security. It provides a variety of benefit packages to eligible employees across its various businesses around the globe such as retirement and health benefit plans that cover employees and their families. According to GE data, it currently has an assortment of pension plans that provide cover for close to 635,000 employees and retirees around the globe. SHARE VALUE AND RETURN ON INVESTMENT: An examination of GEs stock price from the 1st April, 2010 to 1st April, 2011 shows an increase of about a $2 rise from $18.33 to $20.34 signifying an increase in value for shareholders in spite of the recent recession. Also GEs financial statement at the fiscal year ending 2010 shows the company made a gross profit of over $11 billion, once again confirming the fact that it is providing investors a significant return on their investments. GOVERNMENT TAXES AND FEES: In addition, GE also paid out close to $1 billion in income taxes to the government. USE OF LOCAL SUPPLIERS AND SUPPORT FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES: In an effort to enhance its supply chain management, GE launched a Supplier Diversity Programme in 1974. The aim of the programme is to engage diverse groups of suppliers in order to enhance economic opportunity; according to the GE the core components of the programme are National Minority Development Council, Womens Business Enterprise National Council and a host of state and local development councils. Source: GE Metrics Figure 3 above shows a 2009 distribution of GEs assessments of potential suppliers by region, its findings and the categories of its finding based on the issue(s) of concern. According to reports, GE employs and eyes always open approach in terms of assessment by investigating concerns raised by external sources such as the press reports and pursuing corrective measures immediately. SUSTAINABLE OF PRODUCTS/SERVICES According to GEs 2009 Ecomagination report, revenues grew by about 6% to $18 billion courtesy of products launched under the initiative. GE currently uses an Ecomagination Product Review (EPR) to determine not only which offerings are included in the Ecomagination portfolio but also to ensure that the products improve customers value proposition and environmental performance. In addition, GE has developed a process for what it terms New Product Introduction (NPI) which focuses on consumer needs and views environmental performance as a key customer priority. This exemplifies GEs cradle to grave approach of being a responsible corporate citizen by not focusing solely on commercial factors but also environmental and health impacts of their products and services. As a global conglomerate, GE is involved in the provision of a diverse set of products and services from appliances and aviation to healthcare and financial services. As Figure 4 shows below, most of GEs revenue is derived from offering financial services through GE Capital and as such most people even label it as a financial company with a manufacturing arm. Source: GE Metrics The manufacturing arm in the form of the provision of technology infrastructure is another of GEs significant business units and perhaps the most well-known. Taking these facts into account, this workbook will focus briefly on how these two major GE businesses (GE Capital and GE Technology Infrastructure) and their products could be made more sustainable. GE Capital: As mentioned earlier, GE has invested significantly in cleaner technologies and is also involved in financing and providing loans to support external businesses with a focus on innovative and sustainable practices and products. In an effort to make GE Capital more sustainable, GE could gradually consider putting more resources in telecommuting; by doing this there will be less need for large GE buildings and offices around the globe. In addition, it could lead the way by installing most of the innovative technologies derived from its Ecomagination initiative at its GE Capital offices. GE Technology Infrastructure: As GEs major manufacturing arm has made significant gains especially by focusing on the production of more sustainable products via the Ecomagination initiative. As a global manufacturing force with most of its products available in a range of places such homes, airports, banks and schools to name a few, GE has a great avenue to influence a global shift to the use of more sustainable products. GE can also improve this business unit, by making a conscious effort to minimize emission, water usage and improving waste management. There is no doubt that this is probably the division with the most sustainability concern due to the nature of the operations involved in the production process, as such GE would do well to also invite external evaluators to assess its plants and provide more sustainable solutions to enhance its production process. ETHICAL CULTURE GE is well known for its strong company culture and its integrity policy is laid out in a document entitled the spirit and the letter which all employees are required to pledge to and sign. This is accompanied by an ombudsman process that allows employees to raise and report ethical concerns with impunity. GEs integrity policy covers the following parties: Directors, Employees, Officers, Subsidiaries and Controlled Affiliates, Non- Controlled Affiliates and all Third parties representing GE. Specifically, all employees are expected to understand GEs policies and are obligated to raise any concerns they have while leaders are obligated to prevent compliance issues from arising, detect them when and if they arise and respond to them expediently. From close examination, one can observe that GEs integrity policy is quite plain and easy to understand, it is specific and detailed as it lays out the following: The parties bound to the policy. What is expected of the parties in terms of compliance and their obligations An exhaustible list of various channels and steps to be taken in terms of reporting concerns. It explains how and when the process will be carried out The penalties involved when the policy is violated And most importantly a bold statement that prohibits and punishes any form of retaliation against those who raise concerns. The integrity policy covers a broad range of parties and lays out in details how those parties are to be treated and how related ethical concerns are to be treated. A snapshot of this is a follows: Employees: With regards to its staff, their rights, obligations and expected conduct is laid out at the beginning of the integrity policy. For instance, employees are encouraged to raise concerns early, they also have the right to remain anonymous but can choose not to, their confidentiality is respected and most of it is clearly emphasized that retaliation is prohibited. Customers: Regarding the treatment of customers, all forms of improper payments are prohibited and guidelines are provide on how to deal with various potential scenarios; however, reasonable expenditures and gifts are acceptable but subject to corporate guidelines. Suppliers: GEs suppliers are also expected to abide by lawful guidelines such as fair work practices and quality standards. Overall, they are expected to abide by national laws and regulations and also ensure the safeguarding of confidential information. Wider Community: GEs integrity policy also provides guidelines for dealing with governments, preventing money laundering, safeguarding clients privacy, ensuring fair competition and dealing with local communities. The policy is very specific and provides clear expectations and steps on how to deal with the aforementioned members of the wider community. It is evident that GE has parlayed it long experience in doing business around the globe into creating an ethical code of conduct that is unambiguous and rigorous in addressing all stakeholders in its businesses around the world. KNOWLEDGE REVIEW FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE SUSTAINABILITY MONITORING SYSTEMS The issue of sustainability has become more serious and highly debated in recent times, given the large amount of companies that claim to be committed to sustainable practices and products, this section will provide an annotated bibliography that reviews the features of effective sustainability monitoring systems. By doing this, the aim is to gain perspectives from experts in the field of sustainability that lay out what effective sustainability monitoring systems should contain and as such provide use with a set of requirements with which to assess the currents systems being implemented by various companies today.