Business Ethics Assignment

Today’s fast moving; ever changing world is dominated by businesses. Cut throat competition, constantly upgraded versions and continuous research into producing the ‘bigger-and-better’ are all defining characteristics of the modern business world (Ferrell, 2006).But as big businesses look for more profit gaining measures, it raises the ever important question of corporate responsibility which is a current hot topic. With growing awareness, consumers now expect the businesses they deal with, to exercise this concept. But what exactly is it?(Hopt, 2003). The dictionary defines corporate responsibility as: â€Å"†¦is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model†¦ essentially, CSR is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision-making, and the honoring of a triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit. † Put more simply, corporate social responsibility or often called just corporate responsibility (CR) is a concept which states that all businesses operate with a certain predetermined goal such as maximizing profits or shareholder wealth etc.CR is the consideration businesses give to social, environmental impacts it creates when it operates to achieve a certain goal. CR takes sustainability into account. There are many reasons why the concept of CR has taken such increased importance in today’s world. The main reason is that businesses are now realizing that they do not have to win over only their shareholders and customers but also the general public (Vogel, 2006). Example your employees may be affected if you decide to close down certain operations. Effective human resource planning is therefore important.The environment may be affected if companies dump untreated sewage into rivers (the Hema Chemicals Company and the subsequent pollution of the Gujarat river case 2001, India) which is why almost all companies in first world countries now treat their waste before dumping it. A ll these issues are actively being considered by businesses today as many of them take into consideration all their stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, the local community, the government and environment instead of solely working to satisfy their own shareholders(Parkinson , 1995).There are many reasons why businesses should take CR into account. The principal reason is that today’s customer is more aware of his surroundings then the customers of bygone years (Ghillyer, 2006). Especially in the Western world, most of them prefer to be associated with businesses fulfilling their corporate social responsibility. An example over here is Anita Riddick’s Body Shop. The shop sells cosmetics with the promise that they are not tested on animals.It has achieved tremendous success ever since it first opened in the 1980s because customers do not mind paying a higher price if the business supports similar ethics as their own. This way businesses get a two fold advantage: th ey create their own USP in the competitive business world and are able to woo even more potential customers. Another reason is for especially big businesses to practice Corporate Social Responsibility is that there can be damaging consequences of ignoring it.Pressure groups, customers and even the government can request or even demand outright that a company change its practices. This point can be illustrated by the fact that consumers in the US began boycotting Shell petrol pumps in large numbers which ultimately led the petrol giant to reverse its stand on the disposal of an oil drilling platform. Also pressure was applied on Nestle Company when its practice of exploiting the market of processed milk in the developing countries of Africa came to light.The modern marketing concept of selling what the customers wants (as opposed to the outdated concept of product development where companies marketed without taking customer needs into account) also goes hand in hand with the CR conce pt. In fact the market for organic food came into being when farmers realized that customers want to eat fruits and vegetables which were not grown using pesticides harmful to both their health and the environment. Yet another advantage of businesses taking the concept of CR seriously is that governments often give incentive to businesses that have a good corporate governance record.Such businesses may not run into trouble with the law over regulations. Furthermore, with increasing awareness, job seekers often want to be associated with firms who have a good environmental and social record. A survey showed that new college graduates were often more keen to take jobs in companies which shared similar ethical values as their own. But like all issues, corporate responsibility also has its opponents. The major argument put forward by challengers of this concept is that it is the shareholder who invests money into the company and takes a risk (Leipziger, 2003).By taking a risk, the share holder demands certain returns in the form of profits by companies and practicing the CR concept reduces those returns. Milton Friedman supported this argument wholeheartedly. He believed that organizations had no responsibility beyond their legal ones and that social and environmental restrictions on corporations interfered with capitalism and free trade. He believed the tow to be incompatible. Another issue raised with organizations practicing this responsibility is the increased costs it creates.It costs more to treat and dump waste instead of simply dumping it. Similarly, it costs more to use environment friendly equipment and technology then to keep using plain, old fossil fuels. Companies argue this especially in relation to third world countries. Over there, it is more important to help them economically then spend resources trying to take into consideration the social, ethical and environmental aspects of their decisions. Indeed this argument carries weight as people in the Third World are not really aware of the corporate responsibility concept.Another argument against Corporate Responsibility is its questionable purposes. Opponents argue that it is not applied by businesses in it’s essence-instead it is only a marketing gimmick or a way to distract attention form their core operations (Wiggen, 2004). British Petroleum, McDonalds and tobacco companies have often been accused of such behavior. In fact McDonalds is famous worldwide for its good governance policies. But recently, a judge ruled that its food itself may lead to heart related diseases and other illnesses.In conclusion, it is important to decide whether the corporate governance being practiced today by companies should continue or not. In my opinion, corporate governance is a very good practice adopted by the businesses of today. Businesses should not only be concerned with profiteering and gaining on others expense. But having said this, acceptance of corporate responsibility by busi nesses can only be effective when businesses embrace it in its essence and not as a PR or marketing exercise aimed at gaining more consumers.Governments of the world should look into this matter and change the Corporate Responsibility code from a voluntary to mandatory one so all businesses are forced to adopt it. But businesses in third world countries should be given some space because it is true that if a mandatory code is made out of the concept of CR, such businesses may find it very hard to function at all. Such a code should be exercised more stringently with multi nationals so there is a lesser chance of them paying lower than the minimum wage, selling below standard items and polluting the environment.As the current recession has shown, profiting by any means will always lead to chaos and a certain ethical aspect to all business dealings is not only required but desperately needed. References Book Ferrell, O. C. (2006). Ethical Decision Making and Cases. Hopt, K. (2003). Co mpany Law. Vogel. (2006). The Market for Virtue. Parkinson, J. E. (1995). Corporate Power and Responsibility. Ghillyer, A. (2006). A Real World Approach. Leipziger, D. (2003). Corporate Responsibility Code Book. Wiggen, O. (2004). Effects Of Corporate Activity.

Celebrity Endorsement in India Essay Example for Free

Celebrity Endorsement in India Essay In India, celebrities are idolized as Gods and marketers have been trying their best to tap on this emotional connect of the people with the celebrities. Today, most of the popular brands are being endorsed by a famous personality either from entertainment industry or sports arena. Strategic brand positioning and effective communication are the keys to success in today’s market where many brands compete in the same category for the market share. Companies are employing their maximum might to promote their brands and occupy a long lasting image in the minds of the consumers. In India, television is the most popular and effective means of the mass communication. There are over three million television commercials being aired every year. However, 80 percent of them are forgotten by the people in a day or two. So, it is imperative for the marketers to ensure that their ad campaign stands out amongst the crowd (Suhalka, n.d.). Since advertising is a highly critical tool for luring customers to make purchases, Indian firms are investing millions of rupees on celebrity advertising (Khatri, 2006). Celebrity endorsements are also an easy option for Indian marketers because of the disparities of the Indian consumer base in terms of religion, ethinicity, value system and most importantly economic variations. Therefore, advertisers in India emphasis a lot on brand recall and customer persuasion for differentiating their ad campaigns from those of the counterparts. It is here that celebrity endorsement provides a tremendous boost (Surana, 2008). For instance, one of the strongest celebrity endorser is cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who is a youth icon and endorses many successful brands like, Pepsi, Boost, Aviva Life Insurance, TVS, Britannia Biscuits, Visa, Airtel etc. Like, Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bac hchan, Kareena Kapoor also have many brands in their kitties. Indians love their celebrities and blindly follow their suit. This has proved to be a boon for the marketers and celebrity endorsement is just getting better by the day. It has now become an indispensible part of the marketing communication strategy. It is a win ?win situation for both the celebrities and the brands. However, the consumers are ones who are least benefitted as they end up paying more for the products and services. †¢ Khatri, P., 2006. Celebrity Endorsement: A Strategic Promotion Perspective. Indian Media Studies Journal, 1(1).Pp. 25-37 †¢ Suhalka,G.n.d. Celebrity Endorsers and Endorsements in India- The Rise and the Impact [pdf] Available at: http://www.ndtvmi.com/b4/dopesheets/garima.pdf [Accessed 18 February 2012] †¢ Surana,R., 2008. The Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorsement in India [pdf] Available at: http://edissertations.nottingham.ac.uk/2069/1/08MAlixrs13.pdf [Accessed 18 February 2012] Commentary | Theses | Dissertations | Journals & Articles | Proposals & Synopsis | Essays | Promotional Writing | Press Release Copyright  © 2005 – 2012 Project Guru India. All rights reserved. www.ProjectGuru.in Celebrity Endorsement in India. (2016, Dec 07).

APN credentialing boards Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

APN credentialing boards - Research Paper Example A common and significant group of nurses are the Advanced Nursing Practitioners. The Advanced Nursing Practice activities however, cannot be without scrutiny. Practices headed and managed by APNs have become wide spread. This has seen the emergence of credentialing boards like; American Nursing credentialing centre, National Certification Corporation and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. These credentialing institutions perform the duty of giving license, validating clinical experience, giving education preparations and certify nursing practices. APN credentialing boards 1.0. Introduction Over the years they have been emergence on numerous nursing practices. Advanced nursing practice has evolved from being an informal hidden specialty and has become a formal practice with wide spread recognition. It is due to this recognition that it has drawn interests in governments to come up with standards and modes of operations for APNs. Credentialing boards have also been formed. Cr edentialing boards are given the duty to determine whether certain activities are within the scope of operations of APNs. These boards set the ground work for the operation rules, regulations and ethics in the APN practice. According to Fulton & Lyon (2009) the decision making boards also help the APNs to make right decisions in the line of duty. Additionally, the institutions also take the views of advanced nursing practice before coming up with decisions. They consult all groups of nurses under the advanced nursing practice. This essay shall focus on the different credentialing boards and their impacts on the APNs. 2.0. Body The ANP is a broad group which has the capacity of carrying out different and complex duties in a health institution (Carr, Layzel & Christensen, 2010). These duties include administration of health care organizations, implementing and developing health care policies, managing of individuals and groups of patients and the direct care of individual patients. 2. 1. American Association of Critical Care Nurses The American Association of Critical Care Nurses, as one of the credentialing boards is responsible for offering the APNs with an opportunity to take part in programs that boost their careers (McLeod & McGloin, 2010).The nurses are also presented with an opportunity to interact with other nurses; thus, enhance their career through interactions. Through this body, nurses have also gained an opportunity to access various certifications that place them in a better opportunity to get jobs. Through these programs, they are also able to acquire information on how to handle tasking situations that they may encounter in their career, therefore, have a successful career life. Of essence, this board enhances the nursing skills in a tremendous manner. 2.2. American Midwifery Certification Board The American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) is yet another credentialing board of the ANPs. This body has been credited for its contribution in keep ing the nurses updated with the major role they are faced with in provision of services to the public. The body also provides the nurses with certification programs, for instance, AMCB certification tests, as well as approval by the nursing council (Ament, 2007). 2.3. American Nurses Credentialing Center The American Nurses Credentialing Center is one of the most prominent credentialing boards in the world (Masters, 2009). This association is charged with the responsibility

Reflection on Graduation From Medical College Essay

Reflection on Graduation From Medical College - Essay Example If not for the burning urge to help others that resides within me, I am sure I would have given up on my course. The challenges that I faced during my learning years were enormous. One of the challenges that I managed to overcome is my fear of human organs (for their delicate nature) and handling people who are in great pain. In spite of the challenges, today I stand tall, confident that I have mastered many of my earlier fears and conquered the challenges that I thought spelled my doom. The success that I have achieved so far has not only increased my yearning for more knowledge but also my sense of responsibility. Wherever I am, I feel that I need to help someone who is in need. This sense of responsibility sits heavy on my shoulder and I keep wondering whether I will be able to help everyone in need all at the same time. I enjoyed my time in college; lectures, time with friends, and practical sessions. To me, college was like a home away from home. I must admit that without the help and support of my family, friends, colleagues, and professors, I would not be the success story that I am today. I am most grateful to every one of the giants upon whose shoulders I rode to success.

Outsourcing Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Outsourcing - Thesis Example There may be facilities for the parent company to overview the progress going on in the outsourced work. It may be either on-site or off-site. Everything should go in accordance with the conditions of the contract signed between both the parties and each of them can bring to the notice of the other if any negligence or wrongdoings occur from any corner. This actually helps to assure and retain quality all through the functioning of outsourcing. Outsourcing refers to delegating back end functions that are necessary to run an establishment but are not a part of the core business. If we observe the market the trends in outsourcing could be understood clearly. It grows in bad times because companies want to reduce expenses. It grows in good times because companies want to grow. With the concentration on core business capabilities, many companies are outsourcing certain functions to experts. Outsourcing is done in areas like engineering, finance, health, accounting, human resources, etc. Anyway, a company goes for outsourcing means nothing but it is in the path of growth. Advantages: 1) Help cost reduction. ... Large multinational companies are investing in captive BPO units in supplier countries in multiple locations, to reduce risk and control quality. Robert Klepper and Wendell Jones points out that those who take decision should keep in mind so many things in mind. The basic fact is that managers responsible to decide on outsourcing are responsible to explain the advantages the organization is going to make. Besides, the doubts and suspicions that may naturally arise in the minds of stakeholders, suppliers, customers as well as staff could be cleared. According to Mr. Shiva Ramani (as cited http://www.thesspa.com/sspanews/June07/article6.asp) expects the following from stakeholders:"1. Perform a Thorough Self-Analysis2. Look at Strategic Benefits, Not Just Business 3. Skill Availability & Management4)Project Management & Un-interrupted Communication5).Quality Commitment" So many merits may be pointed out on outsourcing. The first and foremost positive thing is that the parent company will get more time to concentrate on strategically important subjects rather than getting hooked up around the day-to-day hassles of specialized jobs. Then comes the availability of top-notch resources. This can be made use of the company as and when required. Outsourcing helps to bring down operational costs by a considerable margin and this is being counted as one of the most striking advantages of outsourcing. Now comes the negative sides of outsourcing. It is feared that outsourcing results in quality failure in general. Also security will be at risk. The fear is not exaggeration in all cases. Some experts even point out that the economic security of each country involved may be affected. Coming to risk in outsourcing. No doubt, if the contract is not between two

Networking Bachelor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Networking Bachelor - Essay Example A secured e commerce service is one of the major concerns for any corporation today in the growing business world. Today e-commerce has provided the gateway for any company to grow and at the same time has provided with its customers and consumers with all the facility to shop from the comfort of their home, while watching TV or listening to music. The major concern for any organization and/or corporation is to provide the necessary security for the online transaction either done through a bank or via any credit card company. Security has become a major concern in the 21st Century. This research work concentrates and focuses more on the e-commerce Security protocols and to improve. The aim is to understand e - commerce security critically and analyze it further into depth to provide more relevant information regarding e-commerce security. The greater part of research work has been dedicated to e-commerce security of electronic business and why the security is considered as very important and how each country spends significant amount of their capital available for security of their electronic business and the loss they may face in security breach of their competitive, confidential, data processing and business information. With the growing use of internet today people want to use more and more of the services available.

Goodbye Mother by Reinaldo Arenas Research Paper - 1

Goodbye Mother by Reinaldo Arenas - Research Paper Example The short story opens with the death of the personas mother. The mother is portrayed as a powerful figure that has overall authority over her children. He recalls how the mother was strict and looked after them with an iron fist. The mother is symbolic of the country, Cuba. They loved their country, but with the revolution, it is constantly changing from the beautiful place they once knew to an ugly, terrible state â€Å"haven’t you notice the smell, the flies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦?† The country is now ruled by dictators, and all the good things are slowly dying (Arenas, pg.316). They have been replaced by beetles, flies, rats and maggots, which have been used metaphorically to refer to the oppressors. Since the coming of the Cuban revolution to power, the people have been oppressed. After the collapse of their motherland, the citizens display their loyalty to their country by choosing to die for it. He is gives a detailed description of the disgraceful behavior of the oppressors by using the flies and maggots to give a vivid a picture. After days of decomposition, the bodies have a started to rot and maggots have invaded it. It displays the rot in the revolution and how the oppressors are devouring the countries resources and mistreating the citizens. After the death of the mother, the sisters stab themselves to death as a sign of solidarity. This signifies the collapse of the pillars of the country. The social and economic aspects of the community are all eroded â€Å"watch how we gracefully glide over the field and garden doomed†¦.† During the revolution era, the country experiences so many calamities (Arenas, pg.316). Cuba suffered massive abuse of power and mistreatment by the dictators. In the Short story, flies have been used metaphorically to compare them to the behaviors and style of leadership employed by the dictators. The dictators have executed and massacred the martyrs, and the young adolescent boys shot in the firing squad. They are