The Role and Function of Stock Market Research Paper

The Role and Function of Stock Market - Research Paper Example Therefore, the illegal influence of counterparty on the transaction is eliminated to an investment whether invested by an investor or corporation. The smooth execution of stock markets activities not only helps profitable development at lower costs but also project the production of industry as well as employment. Moreover, the inoperative deposits with banks are used for cultivation of various economic sectors such as agriculture, commerce and trade. Thus, by playing its vital role in promoting economic system, its also increases the societal prosperity in the state. Generally the stock markets consist of board of directors, chief executive officer (CEO), deputy chief executive officer (DCEO) and heads and staff of departments and sections. The general administrative structure of stock markets is as follows: (iii) It also suggests most suitable solutions to business problems and prepares trading announcements. Moreover, it is responsible to ensure that these reports must reach to the concerned parties, trading system operators and conducts the required investigation to license them to function. It is a sub-market of the London Stock Market. ... Moreover, it is responsible to ensure that these reports must reach to the concerned parties, trading system operators and conducts the required investigation to license them to function. (iv) It takes actions on the execution of the applicable listing instructions by security issuers. (b) Surveillance and Inspection Department. This Department undertakes the following tasks: (i) Executed trading operations are surveiled on the stock markets to ensure their agreement with valid legislations. (ii) It scrutinizes members of stock exchange and registers them to ensure their conformity with rules and regulations of the market. (iii) It receives, examines and recommends appropriate solutions to investors' complaints. (c) Legal Department. Role and task of this department is as follows: (i) This department issues legal procedures and advices to all sections of stock market regarding outgoing and incoming correspondence. (ii) All the agreements and contracts are reviewed by this department. (iii) It acts upon court decisions passed related to securities. Also it follows up the cases raised by stock market or against it. (d) Research and International Relations Department. This Department has the following tasks: (i) It collects the data and information from various departments of the stock market regarding economic and financial studies and then research on it to conclude statistical facts and figures (ii) It prepares official press releases and computes indexes. (iii) For the public awareness, this department arranges conferences, visits and training workshops. (e) IT Department. This Department does the following tasks: (i) IT department is responsible for the protection, maintenance and updating of software and hardware systems

President of Venezuel Essay Example for Free

President of Venezuel Essay The current president of Venezuela named Hugo Rafael Chavez was born in Venezuela’s western grassland region on July 28, 1954. Socialism, Latin American integration and anti imperialism are promoted by the president because he was also leading the Bolivarian Revolution. Neo-liberal globalization and U. S. foreign policy were the main critics of the president. His parents were schoolteacher which is not a lucrative profession by any mean in Venezuela. He was belong to a poor family besides this in Venezuela dark skinned dark skin people faces strong racial divisions and white skinned people are elite. When he was seventeen years old he enrolled at Venezuela â€Å"Academy of Military Sciences† and studied engineering. After completion of acidic career he joined he joint military for several months. Chavez was immediately popular with his fellow students, he and his fellow students developed a left nationalist doctrine that they termed Bolivarianism inspired by his real hero Simon Bolivar, the father of Venezuelan independence and a figure of legendary dimensions. He was an excellent player of baseball and he played a lot for team called the Criollitos de Venezuela. Moreover, upon completion of his studies, Chavez entered the active military service. His military career lasted for 17 years, during this time he held variety of posts, seniorities and commands. He was also the part of the lectureship and was famous for his fiercy lecturing style and radical critique of Venezuelan government and society. With his natural charisma, he brings closer soldiers to his ideas, and built a network of supporters within the army. In 1983 he established MBR 200, the revolutionary Bolivarian movement (Movimiento Bolivariano Revolucionario 200), 1983 being the 200th anniversary of Simon Bolivars birth. Simon Bolivar: Influent Al Person in Hugo Chavezs Life Major influence on Chavez came from Simon Bolivar, from where Bolivarian movement was developed. The memory of Simon Bolivar has yet kept alive in Venezuela, the revolution of 19th century which led the sub continent independence battle against Spain. Simon Bolivar was born in Spain and many of his followers were native of Venezuela. Nonetheless, Simon Bolivar remained to be a significant and founding myth for the Venezuela institute. Particularly, his arm forces helped him a lot to bind them together even though of political instability. Chavez when he was a school child during the periods of 1950’s and 1960’s in the school studied a lot Bolivar’s feats against the Spaniards. The defining event in his life came when in 1989 the economy was devastated by rising oil prices which led President Carlos Andres Perez to a serious of tough measures. As a result of rising oil prices, buses fares were increased which led to protests by poor people and the army was sent to suppress the protestors. Chavez belong that part of the group that was deployed and he was enraged when he listen the order shoot all the citizens who he believes had a legitimate grievances. This was the motivation which led to his army coup that he organized against the same president some three years later. MBR 200. Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 The MBR 200 was the social and political movement that Hugo Chavez founded in 1983. Chavez established MBR 200 setting as its political goals the realization of Bolivars ideals by means of a Bolivar resolution, which refers to a mass social and political movement in Venezuela aimed at eradication of corruption and emphasized on redistributive social justice and economic and political sovereignty. Some important points of Chavezs Bolivarianism are: †¢ Political participation of the masses by votes, referendum and councils †¢ Political and economic sovereignty †¢ Economic self – sufficiency †¢ Building in people nationality and patriotism †¢ Eradication of corruption †¢ Equal distribution of oil revenues of his land 1992 Coup Chavez was working as a lieutenant colonel during his late 30s. In addition, he was also working as a committed left wing activist, mixing with left wing group outside the army and conspiring in the institution for the sake of coup d’etat. So, after an extended period of dissatisfaction and economic decline under the administration of President Perez, Chavez and his fellow conspirators launched a military coup in Feb 1992. Although the coup was not entirely successful Chavez came to national prominence due to a abruptly speech made shortly after his arrest, the Venezuelan government allowed him forty five second speech in order to tell his co-conspirators to lay down the arm. It was a mistake made on the government part and Chavez made the most of it. Chavez in Power When Chavez spent his 2 year life in Jail during the period of 1990s economy of Venezuela was went on to bear the huge burden of oil prices. Support for the two of main political parties decline in elections of 1994, Chavez found the population increasingly receptive to its critique of the two party models and its associated corruption. Chavez organized a new party called the â€Å"fifth republic movement† During 1996 97 his support gradually increased in polls and he scored a comfortable majority and took power in 1998, his first political office with 56 percent of votes. Chavez Is Moving Venezuela from A Democracy To A Totalitarian State â€Å"Chavez supporters assert that, in fact, it is the current administration which is successfully steering Venezuela away from its statist and authoritarian past. They refer to the introduction of the new constitution at the beginning of Chavez’s term, which provides numerous opportunities for citizens to become directly involved in participatory politics, including making provisions for the current recall drive. Civil society groups can, for example, participate indirectly in the selection of judicial officials as well for as the national electoral commission. Furthermore, Chavez’s standing with his own people seems to be improving, which reflects an economy which once again shows promises. Even though the middle-class led last year end’s strike cost the economy $10 billion, unemployment has slowly dropped to 15%. The Bloomberg News Service credits the Venezuela Stock Exchange with one of the two best performances of the 59 exchanges it monitors worldwide. With Chavez’s personal popularity, he has climbed back to 40% after dipping to 30% a number of months ago†. Authoritarian Vs Democratic (Democracy Vs Totalitarian State) There has been a continuous debate whether Chavez has released from corruption accusation or he himself damaged the country’s own foundation of democracy. Authoritarian Some believe that the Hugo Chavez have more power than any president should have. Chavezs new constitution has been seen as authoritarian. Although there are detailed sections involving human rights, but some believe that the power given to the highest branch of government can easily lead to human rights violations. The new constitution also allows the president to be in the office considerably, which some suggests leads to authoritarianism. Scholars also criticized the way Chavez gained power and his conduct afterwards. The motivation behind his recent constituent assembly has been seen as to settle the score with Venezuelans traditional opposition parties and remove them from all positions of influence. One scholar suggested that Chavez himself overthrown the government in 1992 as similar to the corruption of the traditional parties of Venezuela, which clutched power by the military inventions in 1945 and misbalanced Venezuela’s supreme court and congress. Democratic Stance On the other way, some believe that the Chavez protected the democracy. In their point of views, â€Å"Chavezs government does emphasize the mobilization of the masses and confrontational speeches, Chavez cannot be equated to fascism since his ideology is left wing. Others are more pronounced in their view that Chavez is a benefit to democracy. These people believe that Chavez simply frees Venezuela from the corruption and he stands for a much needed transformation in Venezuelan society† Since Chavez does not belong to any party, and he came from the grass roots and has seen all the hardships, therefore he is more capable to meet the interest of the Venezuelans. Some opponent of Chavez equates him with Fujiori but his comparison is not correct because unlike Fujimori Chavez has an self-governing foreign military, a revolutionary disclosure and he did not endorse huge privatization. Economic Policies Venezuela is the 5th largest oil producer, which remains the key of Venezuelan economy. Chavez has gained a reputation as a price hawk in OPEC. At a meeting of OPEC in July 2006, Venezuela was the only country calling for lowered production to drive oil prices higher. Some critics say that under the President Chavez regime the output of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) which is a state owned company, has been reduced by 25% and Venezuela cannot meets it current quota. However Forbes argues that the political and other influence have an effect on numbers. Nonetheless, Chavez has attempted to broaden Venezuelas customer base by getting into joint ventures with other developing countries including China, Brazil, Argentina and India. Although the record oil prices have meant more funding for the social and development plans, but it has also left the economy dependent on oil sector, private sector role has diminished. â€Å"February 6, 2006 Chavez announced a 15% increase in the minimum wage and a new model for Venezuela’s national health-care system, with US$449 million allocated to upgrade 43 hospitals. Implementing a measure of the constitution that recognises housework as an economic activity, the government will also provide wages to 200,000 poor homemakers. January 30, 2006 Chavez launched 12 new state-run Social Production Enterprises (EPS) in key industries, with the aim of substituting for the many products Venezuela currently imports. This is a key part of overcoming Venezuela’s underdevelopment and achieving genuine sovereignty. The EPS follow a new economic model oriented towards human need rather than private profits. February 7, 2006 Chavez announced his government would provide $1 billion in funding to community planning councils. These elected councils aim to greatly deepen participatory democracy by allowing people to directly control public policy†. Unemployment is down â€Å"Venezuela is experiencing a period of economic growth which has moved the formal employment sector (businesses with five or more employees) past the 50 percent mark. When businesses with less than five employees are taken into account the informal sector is much lower (perhaps 35 percent) — unusual for Latin America, which suffers from chronic unemployment and underemployment. I happened on a long line in a downtown shopping district and asked some ladies if they were waiting for the internet cafe to open. No, mi amor, la tienda de zapatos. â€Å"The finest shoes added another. The National Institute of Statistics is preparing a study that will measure the standard of living, not only wages as the World Bank does. Taking the social programs into account — especially the 15,000 Cuban doctors and more money invested in the Social Security hospitals — the standard of living should show more improvement than wages alone show. The institutes president says free education at all levels has drastically reduced dropout rates. This will undoubtedly raise standards of living in the long run as more students go on to higher education†. Highlight of Key Statistical Data Per Capital GDP: During Chavezs presidency per capital GDP dropped 1% 2%. GDP Growth Rates: 18% in 2004, 9% in 2005 and 9% in the first half of 2006. Non-Petroleum Sectors: From 2004 to the first half of 2006, Non Petroleum Sectors showed a growth of greater than 10% Poverty Figures: Dropped by 10% officially. Unemployment: Dropped by 7. 7% since the start of Chavezs presidency. Inflation: Dropped from 29. 9% to 14. 4%

Capital Punishment Essay -- Research Death Penalty Essays

Capital Punishment Whenever the word "death penalty" comes up, extremists from both sides of the spectrum begin to wildly express their opinions. One side says deterrence, the other side says there's a potential of executing an innocent man. One says justice, retribution, and punishment; the other side says execution is murder. However, all arguments aside, the best way and the only way to truly make a rational decision about capital punishment is to examine the purpose of our criminal justice system. Once the purpose of the criminal justice system is established, one must find out the purpose of capital punishment. This paper will show that the purpose of capital punishment is consistent with and embodies the purpose of the criminal justice system. Then, this paper will determine whether or not the present form of the death penalty is fulfilling its purpose, and what could be changed to make the death penalty more efficient and effective. The first question that must be faced is, "What is the purpose of the criminal justice system and does the death penalty help to fulfill that purpose?" In The Law, Frederic Bastiat says that humans have inalienable rights that existed outside of and before government. These rights are life, liberty, and property. He contends that the only legitimate purpose of government is to protect these rights. When one person inflicts on another's rights or takes advantage of another person, he is plundering. Bastiat asks, "When, then, does plunder stop? It stops when it becomes more painful and more dangerous than labor. It is evident, then that the proper purpose of law is to use the power of its collective force to stop this fatal tendency to plunder instead of work. All the measures of the law should protect property and punish plunder," (Bastiat 24-26). People will plunder, take advantage of others, and commit crimes as long as it is in their best interest to do so. The purpose our entire criminal justice system is to protect the rights of life, liberty, and property for all its citizens. To do this, the criminal justice system needs to make "plunder more painful and more dangerous than labor." In other words, the punishment for crime must be harsh enough to deter potential criminals. Under this mindset, the death penalty makes perfect sense. Here is a punishment that truly makes the criminal pay for his crime, stops t... ... General's Office. 1997. 2. 32. 0 The Attorney General's Office did say that the appeals process would be faster once the results of new laws passed on the federal and state level begin to take effect. However, he said that he didn't expect the length of time to get any shorter than 5 years. 33. 0 Malice- Malice is that condition of mind which prompts a person to take the life of another intentionally without just cause, excuse, or justification. Express malice- In criminal law, the intent to kill or seriously injure arising from a deliberate rational mind. Implied malice- Malice inferred from a person's conduct. (Definitions come from Black's Law Dictionary: New Pocket Edition.) 34. 0 In all capital cases, there are two initial trials. The first trial decides whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. The second trial decides whether to give the defendant a punishment of death or life imprisonment. Having 9 of 12 jurors concur on the punishment obviously refers to the second trial, not the first. The procedure for the first trial will be unchanged by this bill. 35. 0 Duff, Charles. A Handbook on Hanging. Boston: Hale, Cushman, and Flint. 1929. 54.

Closed Head Injury

Closed Head Injury Case Study Y. W. is a 23-year-old male student from Thailand studying electrical engineering at the university. He was ejected from a moving vehicle, which was traveling 70 mph. His injuries included a severe closed head injury with an occipital hematoma, bilateral wrist fractures, and a right pneumothorax. During his neurologic intensive care unit (NICU) stay, Y. W. was intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation, had a feeding tube inserted and was placed on tube feedings, had a Foley catheter to down drain (DD), and had multiple IVs inserted. He developed pneumonia 1 month after admission.Closed Head Injuries: Closed head injuries result from a blow to the head as occurs, for example, in a car accident when the head strikes the windshield or dashboard. These injuries cause two types of brain damage. 1. Define the term primary head injury. A primary head injury (or primary impact) is also known as a â€Å"coup injury. † The injury occurs under the site of impact with an object such as a hammer or a rock. The brain strikes the skull after the head strikes the object of impact (Lewis, et al, Fig 57-14). This is the site of the direct impact of the brain on the skull.Often there is edema around the site of impact. 2. Define the term secondary head injury. The secondary head injury is also known as contrecoup injury occurs on the side opposite the area that was impacted. These injuries tend to be more severe and overall patient prognosis depends on the amount of bleeding around the contusion site (Lewis, et al, 1425). Often it is the secondary brain injuries that show few initial symptoms and then have serious side effects days to weeks later. 3. What is normal intracranial pressure (ICP), and why is increased ICP so clinically important?Normal intracranial pressure ranges from 5 to 15 mm Hg. A sustained pressure above the upper limit is considered abnormal. Pressure changes in the brain effect the brain’s compliance. Complianc e is the â€Å"expandability of the brain† With low compliance, small changes in volume occur and result in greater increases in pressure. Elevated intracranial pressure is clinically significant because â€Å"it diminishes CPP, increases risks of brain ischemia and infarction, and is associated with a poor prognosis† (Lewis, et al, p. 1425-1427). 4. Identify at least five signs and symptoms (S/S) of increased ICP. signs and symptoms of increased ICP are †¢Decreased LOC (level of consciousness) †¢Respiratory problems (maintaining a patent airway is critical in the patient with increased ICP. Pt is at increased risk of airway obstruction (Lewis, et al, p. 1434). †¢Elevated systolic BP due to ischemia and pressure on the brainstem. †¢Bradycardia due to the ischemia and pressure on the brainstem as well. †¢Pulmonary edema due to increased sympathetic activity as a result of increased intercranial pressure. 5. List 4 medication classifications that the ICU nurses could use to decrease or control increased ICP.Some of the medications that the ICU nurses could use to decrease or control increased ICP would be: †¢Opioids (morphine sulfate and fentanyl) †¢IV anesthetic sedative propofol (Diprivan) to manage anxiety and agitation. †¢Vecuronium (Norcuron), cisatracurium besylate (Nimbex): nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents: achieve complete ventilatory control in the treatment of refractory intracranial hypertension. (These agents paralyze muscles without blocking pain or noxious stimuli, therefore they are used in combination with sedatives, analgesics, or benzodiazepines (Lewis, p. 436)). †¢Dexmedetomidine (Precedex): alpha-2 agonist; used for continuous IV sedation of intubated and mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU setting for up to 24 hours. †¢Benzodiazepines are usually avoided in the ICU in management of the patient with increased ICP because of the hypotensive effect and long hal f-life. (Lewis, et al, p. 1436). 6. List 8 nursing measures that the ICU nurses could use to decrease or control increased ICP. * Maintain the patient in the head-up position. Elevation of the head of the bed reduces sagittal sinus pressure, promotes drainage from the head via the valveless venous system through the jugular veins, and decreases the vascular congestion that can produce cerebral edema† (Lewis, et al, p. 1436) * Position the bed so that it lowers the ICP while optimizing the CPP; not above 30 degrees. * Turn the patient with slow, gentle movements. Rapid changes in position may increase ICP. * Avoid extreme hip flexion—this risks raising intra-abdominal pressure which increases ICP. Turn pt every 2 hrs (minimum). * Protect the patient with ICP from self-injury with adequate padding on the bed.Because of likelihood of decreased LOC, confusion, agitation, and the possibility of seizures increase the risk for injury. * Be prepared to explain situations to fam ily and caregivers and the patient. With increased ICP, anxiety is likely and the prognosis can be distressing. By providing short, simple explanations that are appropriate, it allows the patient and the caregiver to acquire the amount of information they desire (Lewis, p. 1438). * Decorticate or decerebrate posturing is a reflex response in some patients with increased ICP. The nurse can use turning, skin care, and even passive range of motion. Monitor fluid and electrolyte status. Disturbances can have an adverse effect on ICP. Closely monitor IV fluids with the use of an accurate intravenous infusion control device or pump; monitor intake and output and daily weights. (Lewis, et al, 1437) * Perform neurological assessments every hour. 7. Y. W. ’s medication list includes clindamycin 150 mg per feeding tube q6h, ranitidine (Zantac elixir) 150 mg per feeding tube bid, and phenytoin (Dilantin) 100 mg IV piggyback (IVPB) tid. Indicate the reasons for each. †¢Clindamycin 1 50 mg per feeding tube q6h: Treatment of respiratory tract infections; to treat Y.W. ’s pneumonia. (Skyscape, 2012). †¢Ranitidine (Zantac elixir) 150 mg per feeding tube BID: Used to treat and prevent stress ulcers (stress-induced GI bleeding in critically ill patients). Due to head injury, overstimulation of the vagus nerve from TBI. †¢Phenytoin (Dilantin) 100 mg IVPB TID: Used to treat and prevent tonic-clonic seizures and complex partial seizures. Seizure is seen in 5% of patients with a non-penetrating head injury (Lewis, et al, p. 1445). 8. A STAT portable chest x-ray (CXR) is ordered after each central venous catheter (CVC) is inserted.According to hospital protocol, no one is permitted to infuse anything through the catheter until the CXR has been read by the physician or radiologist. What is the purpose of the CXR, and why isn’t fluid infused through the catheter until after the CXR is read? The chest x-ray confirms the proper placement of the central venous catheter. If fluid is infused through the catheter before a CXR has confirmed placement, the patient is at high risk for systemic infection or possible pneumothorax (which would occur if the catheter were to be entered into the lung by mistake instead of the superior vena cava).CASE STUDY PROGRESS Y. W. spent 2 months in acute care and is now on your rehabilitation unit. He follows commands but tends to get agitated with too much stimulation. His tracheostomy site is well healed, and the pneumonia is finally resolving. He is still receiving supplemental tube feeding and has some continued incontinence of both bowel and bladder. Y. W. has a supportive group of friends who are students at the university; several of them are also from Thailand. 9. Y. W. ’s latest lab results are as follows: Na 149 mmol/L, K 4. mmol/L, Cl 119 mmol/L, total CO2 21 mmol/L, BUN 12 mg/dl, creatinine 1. 2 mg/dl, glucose 123 mg/dl, WBC 15. 4 thou/cmm, Hgb 14. 9 g/dl, Hct 36. 4%, platelets 140 t hou/cmm. Are any of these of concern to you, and what would you suggest to correct them? I am concerned about 3 of the labs. Sodium: high (increased); hypernatremia; high sodium levels cause neurologic problems including intense thirst, lethargy, agitation, seizures, postural hypotension, weakness, and decreased skin turgor. Chloride: High, increased; High chloride levels occur because of increased sodium levels.It is important to correct the sodium level so the chloride level can follow suit. Again, hypernatremia and the nurse must watch out for dysrhythmias, HTN, and impaired mental response. –> Correcting increased sodium would include: Hypotonic saline (via IV) and 5% dextrose in water (IV)- (Lewis, et al, p. 312) WBC count:15. 4 increased; this increased level indicates infection. This can be attributed to the patient’s diagnosis of Pneumonia. Administration of appropriate antibiotics will help bring the white count back to a normal level. 0. Are you surprised by Y. W. ’s agitated behavior? Explain. YM’s agitation is of no surprise. Patients that have head injuries often express agitation easily. Increased intracranial pressure and the head injury the patient has experienced can cause agitated behavior to arise. It is imperative for the nurse to use interventions to decrease the agitated behavior which can further lead to feelings of anxiety. Providing a calm and non-stimulating environment, free of stressors, is a good way to do this (Lewis, et al, p. 1438).Also, the nurse can elevate the bed 15-30 degrees with appropriate oxygenation applied. 11. Outline a general rehabilitation plan for Y. W. based on the above data. The rehab plan will include -physical therapy- working on gross motor skills, walking, sitting, transferring, and range of motion -occupational therapy- aids in completion of ADLs and learning of new techniques to complete these tasks of daily living -nutrition- proper nutrition to keep patient nourished and als o consuming enough vitamins/minerals/proteins to aide in healing. nursing staff- administer antibiotics, pain medications, and supportive care. -speech therapy- to evaluate and aide with swallowing, eating/drinking, and eventually verbal communication improvements. 12. Y. W. ’s mother has just arrived in the United States and speaks no English. What measures can be taken to facilitate communication between medical personnel and the mother? First and foremost the nurse should find out what language is the mother’s native language. Most people are unaware but it is not safe to assume there is one language that will apply to an entire country.Quite a few countries speak a language based on their village. The nurse will need to acquire an interpreter that will speak the language that best suits the mother. If the patient’s friends/classmates are around, they can also be used to aid in interpretation and communication between health care staff and family. 13. Y. W. à ¢â‚¬â„¢s mother will need a place to stay while in the United States. What can you do to facilitate the initial contact with the Thai community? Hopefully the other Thai students are around or could make a suggestion for the patient’s mother.I would also ask the social worker if they know of any thai-specific cultural centers in the area. I could check with the interpreter, and see if they have a lead. I would also google Thai community San Diego and see what I could find. 14. What special discharge planning considerations are there in this case? Discharge considerations for this patient will involve knowing where the patient is discharging to. The nurse will need to know if the patient is staying in the US and continuing with follow-up outpatient rehab with our facility and if not, then where will they be.The nurse and other members of the healthcare/rehab team need to educate the patient on his injury and what comes next for him in terms of rehabilitation. The nurse needs t o consider what modifications YM has made to his lifestyle post injury. Discharge planning should include an outpatient schedule for OT, PT and Speech (assuming he will stay here). Education for caregivers and family is also very important so that the patient has a support system available during the recovery and rehabilitation process.The patient will need to be sent home with any tools he will need for ADLs, with medications or supplements that are still necessary for recovery. If the patient is in need of special services or devices (i. e. wheelchair, ramps, vehicle to accommodate special devices, etc. ), a case manager should be sought out to ensure that these needs are met. References Lewis, et al, (2011). Medical-Surgical Nursing Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems. 8th ed. Vol 1. St Louis, Missouri: Mosby. Skyscape. (2010). Skyscape Medical Resources (Version 1. 9. 11) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://itunes. apple. com/

Disaster recovery training

It is almost inevitable that at some point, a business or organization will experience a serious calamity that may hinder it from carrying out its normal day to day business operations. Such calamities may include computer malfunctioning, accidents, floods, fires, grievous acts, among others. When disaster strikes, it is important for the organization to have a proper disaster recovery plan that will help the business significantly reduce the losses incurred and recover within a short time frame.For this reason, this organization has set up a talented disaster recovery planning team which will cater for such eventualities. However, even as the expertise of the team cannot be questioned, it is still important for the members to undergo disaster recovery training from a credible third party and be properly certified so as to provide our company with the international best practices and recommendations for the implementation of disaster recovery as well as business continuity. Offering Disaster recovery training to our team will also help prevent our organization from â€Å"reinventing the wheel† (Thejendra, 2008).There are several organizations that provide consultancy and training in Disaster Recovery practices but it is important to choose carefully, those who will train our disaster recovery team so as to achieve the best possible training and exposure. The choice is to a large extent, dependent on their Disaster Recovery certification and relevant experience in this field. Based on these requirements, the following are five possible sources that can adequately train our disaster recovery planning team. They include professional training organizations and academic options. DRI internationalDRI is an acronym for the Disaster Recovery Institute and is a reputable international organization which provides training and certification on disaster recovery and business continuity. The training courses that it offers range from basic to advanced levels and its certification programs are aimed towards helping an organization to maintain its professional level of competence even in the midst of calamity. If contracted, DRI will help our planning team learn how to develop a business continuity management program and come up with proper resilience strategies to overcome disasters in the shortest time frame possible.The training offered by DRI international is quite comprehensive and covers each career level therefore members of our DR planning team can grow and improve their knowledge as they progress up the career ladder (â€Å"DRI International†, 2009). The professional certification is given in five different levels starting from entry level to more advanced levels. The entry level certification training is the Associate Business Continuity Professional (ABCP) which will support our team members who have less than two years experience in this field.The second certification level is the Certified Business Continuity Vendor (CBCV) whi ch is offered to those with more than two years experience and who demonstrate knowledge of the DRI professional practices. Another certification level is the Certified Functional Continuity Professional (CFCP) level which is open for those who demonstrate knowledge, have more than two years working experience and have practical experience in at least three professional practices subject areas.The Certified Business Continuity Professional is offered to those who have practical experience in at least five professional practice subject areas and the Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP) will cater for those who have more than five years working experience and have practical experience in at least seven professional practices subject areas. DRII certification is internationally recognized meaning that our team will get the best possible Disaster Recovery training and apply it to our organization (DRI International, 2009). Business continuity instituteThe Business Continuity i nstitute (BCI) is an internationally recognized organization that offers training on business continuity. It was started in 1994 with the aim of helping its members to get guidance on proper management of business continuity. This institute offers training and certification on business continuity management through a program known as the BCI professional recognition program. This program is aimed at helping organizations to identify any potential threats to their business and achieve resilience so that they can respond effectively and safeguard their business when disaster strikes.Some of the skills imparted by BCI training include business resilience as well as recovery strategies, business continuity plans and strategies for risk management. (Business Continuity Institute, 2009). Training with BCI can be very beneficial to our organization especially due to its international status. The BCI professional recognition program is a benchmark for assessing best practice and has encoura ged the improvement of business enhancing skills. Our disaster recovery planning team can therefore greatly benefit from the high quality training which this institute is capable of providing.BCI certification is based on the Certification standards for Business Continuity Professionals which are internationally recognized standards of disaster recovery and were published in conjunction with DRI international. Thus BCI certification is internationally recognized and its prestigious status will boost our organization’s credibility and portray us a competent enough to carry out business continuity practices consistently and to a very high professional standards (Business Continuity Institute, 2009). International Consortium for Organizational ResilienceThis is another international organization that offers training on disaster recovery and business continuity. It offers professional certifications through several certification programs that have been tailor made to suit each ca reer level. ICOR courses are offered at the ICOR University and include ten disciplines, among them, Business Continuity Management, Risk Management and Insurance, social resilience and crisis management and communication. The CORA Associate certification program is for entry level professionals and is offered even to those with no work experience.The CORS Specialist certification level is given to those with a minimum of three years work experience and who have a certification in one discipline from ICOR University. CORM manager is a more advanced certification level and for those with more than five years work experience and certifications in at least two disciplines from ICOR University. CORP Professional ICOR certification requires more than seven years work experience and certifications in four disciplines from ICOR University.Finally, CORE executive certification program is for those with more than ten years working experience and certifications from six disciplines in ICOR Un iversity. The credentialing program from ICOR is designed to help students to progress as professionals (The ICOR, 2009). The main aim of ICOR is to empower the professionals who are in charge of business continuity planning with skills that will enable them to come up with adequate resilience strategies for their businesses. If our team trains at ICOR, they will have the benefit of interacting with other professionals making their learning more meaningful.ICOR is also recognized worldwide as offering resilience solutions to organizations therefore if we gain corporate membership, our team will be able to access quite a number of benefits. Some of these advantages include interacting with professionals, having unlimited access to the ICOR library so they can read widely on the subject and have unlimited access to a wide variety of resources. As members, they will undergo thorough training and certification at a lower cost. They can attend professional conferences and constantly be u pdated on what is going on in this field.These benefits will be translated to the organization in from of improved business continuity practices as they apply what they have learnt (The ICOR, 2009). Norwich University This is one of the few academic options which offer training in the field of disaster recovery and business continuity. The disaster recovery course which started in December 2008 is offered at the Norwich online school of Graduate studies under the Masters of Science in Business continuity program. Norwich University developed this program so as to increase the level of training in the disaster recovery field.Among the subject areas that it addresses are policies, systems and procedures that will help a company to carry on with its day to day operations even in the face of a disaster that threatens interruption. Being a military college, Norwich University seems like a natural setting for this program since the military is among the first organizations in the United S tates to initiate contingency planning. The MSBC program will help organizations to strengthen information assurance thereby enhancing business continuity (Larkin, 2008).The MSBC program seeks to help businesses adopt business continuity as a best practice, assessing all business aspects from information technology to supply chains. It will help our team learn how to identify weaknesses in the disaster recovery system. The fact that lessons in this program also involve learning directly from experts and analyzing case studies of those who have actually undergone business interruption at this point and this provides more adequate and relevant information which our disaster recovery planning team can then apply to our workplace.Learning from those who have undergone a disaster first hand is more beneficial than just learning theoretically. The program is provided online so our team members can learn from the comfort of their homes or in the office and as they learn, they apply it conc urrently to the workplace. This can be likened to on the job training, only the company is not providing the training directly. Furthermore, Norwich University is able to recruit instructors in diverse working in their different fields worldwide therefore its students benefit from a wide field of knowledge (Larkin, 2008). Boston University Metropolitan CollegeBoston University is another academic option which offers training in the field of disaster recovery and business continuity. The course is offered online in two distinct programs. One is offered as a Graduate Certificate in Risk Management and Organizational Continuity (RMOC) and the other is offered as a Masters of Science in Business Continuity and Emergency Management (MSBCEM). The graduate certificate program has been designed to help businesses come up with the best strategies to cope with the various calamities that may present themselves in the lifetime of the company (Boston University online, n.d). Students in the RMO C program are taught both proactive and reactive aspects of managing a crisis. The program covers preparedness planning, proper development of a business continuity plan among others. Students will also undergo a simulation of an emergency situation at the workplace and this will help them apply the theoretical concepts that they have learned in the duration of their coursework. Members of our planning team will be able to gain useful knowledge in business continuity.They will be able to gain valuable professional credentials. It is also possible for them to further their training by enrolling in the online Master of Science in specialty management which specializes in Business Continuity, Security & Risk Management. This course is offered to build on the graduate certificate RMOC program and students under the RMOC program can simply transfer their credits to MSBCEM program and complete it only by covering the eight core courses (Boston University Online, n. d).

Free Essays on Why The Concept Of Heroes Survives The Centuries

could describe the gods and heroes of Greek and Roman mythology. They possess incredible strength, they have horses that fly, or are immortal. â€Å"He was wise, he saw mysteries, and knew secret things, . . .† is a description of Gilgamesh. (Sandars 12) According to Sandars â€Å" . . . the gods gave [Gilgamesh] a perfect body . . . endowed him with beauty . . . endow... Free Essays on Why The Concept Of Heroes Survives The Centuries Free Essays on Why The Concept Of Heroes Survives The Centuries WHY THE CONCEPT OF HEROES SURVIVES THE CENTURIES For centuries, society and literature have revered and idolized extraordinary individuals called ‘heroes.’ The word hero brings to mind several images: strength, bravery, determination. Heroes have been part of human cultures for thousands of years. Gilgamesh is recognized as the original superhero, followed by many others including Hercules and Odysseus, Spiderman and Rambo, George Patton and Todd Beamer. Heroes in â€Å"The Iliad† by Homer such as Agamemnon, Achilles, and Hector, all exhibit courage, strength, and perseverance. Our history books are filled with accounts of heroic actions. Daily newscasts report stories about heroes in all walks of life. Students often question why study ancient works of literature. One reason is that readers of ancient literature are treated to some of the greatest superhero stories ever written. What makes the stories even more fascinating is that the most enduring epic, â€Å"Gilgamesh,† is nearly 4,800 years o ld. (Lawall, â€Å"Gilgamesh† 10). No matter which era, our heroes have these and other certain traits in common. The most unexplained quality is that of being a â€Å"common person† or â€Å"regular guy.† These qualities explain why the concept of cultural heroes survives the centuries. Proving that history repeats itself, some of today’s superheroes pull tendencies from the legendary heroes of mythology. As an example, consider Superman. He is tall and handsome. He is smart. He can also fly, is practically invincible, and is the strongest of men. These words could describe the gods and heroes of Greek and Roman mythology. They possess incredible strength, they have horses that fly, or are immortal. â€Å"He was wise, he saw mysteries, and knew secret things, . . .† is a description of Gilgamesh. (Sandars 12) According to Sandars â€Å" . . . the gods gave [Gilgamesh] a perfect body . . . endowed him with beauty . . . endow...

History of the African Slave Trade

History of the African Slave Trade Although slavery has been practiced for almost the whole of recorded history, the vast numbers involved in the African slave trade has left a legacy which cannot be ignored. Slavery in Africa Whether slavery existed within sub-Saharan African Iron Age kingdoms before the arrival of Europeans is hotly contested among African studies scholars. What is certain is that Africans were subjected to several forms of slavery over the centuries, including chattel slavery under both the imperial Muslims with the trans-Saharan slave trade and imperial Christian Europeans through the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Between 1400 and 1900, close to 20 million individuals were taken from the African continent during four sizable and mostly simultaneous slave trading operations: Trans-Saharan, Red Sea (Arab), Indian Ocean, and Trans-Atlantic. According to Canadian economic historian Nathan Nunn, by 1800 Africa’s population was half of what it would have been, had the slave trades not occurred. Nunn suggests his estimates based on shipping and census data probably represent about 80% of the total number of people stolen from their homes by the various slave operations. Four Great Slave Trading Operations in Africa Name Dates Number Countries Most Impacted Destination Trans-Saharan early 7th–1960s 3 million 13 countries: Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan, Chad North Africa Trans-Atlantic 1500–1850 12 million 34 countries: Angola, Ghana, Nigeria, the Congo European colonies in the Americas Indian Ocean 1650–1700 1 million 15 countries: Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar Middle East, India, Indian Ocean Islands Red Sea 1820–1880 1.5 million 7 countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad Egypt and Arabian peninsula Religion and African Slavery Many of the countries who actively enslaved Africans came from states with strong religious underpinnings such as Islam and Christianity. The Quran prescribes the following approach to slavery: free men could not be enslaved, and those faithful to foreign religions could live as protected persons. However, the spread of the Islamic Empire through Africa resulted in a much harsher interpretation of the law, and people from outside the borders of the Islamic Empire were considered an acceptable source of slaves. Before the Civil War, Christianity was used to justify the institution of slavery in the American south, with most clergy in the south believing and preaching that slavery was a progressive institution designed by God to affect the Christianization of Africans.  The use of religious justifications for slavery is not confined to Africa by any means. The Dutch East India Company Africa wasnt the only continent from which slaves were captured: but its countries suffered the most devastation. In many cases, slavery appears to have been a direct outgrowth of expansionism. The great maritime explorations driven by companies such as the Dutch East India Company (VOC) were financed for the specific purpose of adding land to European empires. That land required a labor force far beyond the men sent on exploratory ships. People were enslaved by empires to act as servants; as agricultural, mining, and infrastructure labor; as sex slaves; and as cannon fodder for various armies. The Start of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade When the Portuguese first sailed down the Atlantic African coast in the 1430s, they were interested in one thing: gold. However, by 1500 they had already traded 81,000 Africans to Europe, nearby Atlantic islands, and to Muslim merchants in Africa. So Tomà ©Ã‚  is considered to be a principal port in the export of slaves across the Atlantic, this is, however, only part of the story. The Triangular Trade in Slaves For two hundred years, 1440–1640, Portugal had a monopoly on the export of slaves from Africa. It is notable that they were also the last European country to abolish the institution- although, like France, it still continued to work former slaves as contract laborers, which they called libertos or engagà ©s temps. It is estimated that during the 4 1/2 centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Portugal was responsible for transporting over 4.5 million Africans (roughly 40% of the total). During the eighteenth century, however, when the slave trade accounted for the transport of a staggering 6 million Africans, Britain was the worst transgressor- responsible for almost 2.5 million. (This is a fact that is often forgotten by those who regularly cite Britains prime role in the abolition of the slave trade.) Information on how many slaves were shipped from Africa across the Atlantic to the Americas during the sixteenth century can only be estimated as very few records exist for this period. But from the seventeenth century onwards, increasingly accurate records, such as ship manifests, are available. Slaves for the Trans-Atlantic slave trade were initially sourced in Senegambia and the Windward Coast. Around 1650 the trade moved to west-central Africa (the Kingdom of the Kongo and neighboring Angola). South Africa It is a popular misconception that slavery in South Africa was mild compared to that in America and the European colonies in the Far East. This is not so, and punishments meted out could be very harsh. From 1680 to 1795 an average of one slave was executed in Cape Town each month and the decaying corpses would be re-hung around town to act as a deterrent to other slaves.   Even after the abolition of the slave trade in Africa, colonial powers used forced labor- such as in King Leopolds Congo Free State (which was operated as a massive labor camp) or as libertos on the Portuguese plantations of Cape Verde or So Tomà ©. As recently as the 1910s, about half of the two million Africans who supported the various powers in World War I were forcibly coerced to do so. Impact of the Slave Trade Historian Nathan Nunn has conducted extensive research on the economic impacts of the massive loss of population during the slave trade. Prior to 1400, there were several Iron Age kingdoms in Africa that were established and growing. As the slave trade ramped up, people in those communities needed to protect themselves and began procuring weapons (iron knives, swords, and firearms) from Europeans by trading slaves. People were kidnapped first from other villages and then from their own communities. In many regions, the internal conflict caused by that led to the disintegration of kingdoms and their replacement by warlords who could not or would not establish stable states. The impacts continue to this day, and despite great indigenous strides in resistance and economic innovation, Nunn believes the scars still hinder the economic growth of countries who lost large numbers of populations to the slave trade compared to those which did not.   Selected Sources and Further Reading Campbell, Gwyn. Madagascar and the Slave Trade, 1810–1895. The Journal of African History 22.2 (1981): 203–27. Print.Du Bois, W.E.B., Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Saidiya Hartman.  The Suppression of the African Slave-Trade to the United States of America, 1638–1870. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2007.Gakunzi, David. The Arab-Muslim Slave Trade: Lifting the Taboo. Jewish Political Studies Review 29.3/4 (2018): 40–42. Print.Kehinde, Michael. Trans-Saharan Slave Trade. Encyclopedia of Migration. Eds. Bean, Frank D. and Susan K. Brown. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 2014. 1–4. Print.Nunn, Nathan. The Long-Term Effects of Africas Slave Trades. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 123.1 (2008): 139–76. Print.Nunn, Nathan, and Leonard Wantchekon. The Slave Trade and the Origins of Mistrust in Africa. The American Economic Review 101.7 (2011): 3221–52. Print.Peach, Lucinda Joy. Human Rights, Religion, and (Sexual) Slavery. The Annual of the Society of Christian Ethics 20 (2000): 65–87. Print. Vink, Markus. The Worlds Oldest Trade: Dutch Slavery and Slave Trade in the Indian Ocean in the Seventeenth Century. Journal of World History 14.2 (2003): 131–77. Print.

49 Opinion Writing Prompts for Students

49 Opinion Writing Prompts for Students One of the most common essay types is the opinion, or persuasive, essay. In an opinion essay, the writer states a point of view, then provides facts and reasoned arguments to support that viewpoint. The goal of the essay is to convince the reader to share the writer’s opinion. Students arent always aware of how many strong opinions they already hold. Use the following opinion writing prompts to inspire them to start thinking and writing persuasively. Prompts About School and Sports School- and sports-related topics often elicit strong opinions in students. Use these writing prompts to kick off the brainstorming process. Ch-ch-ch-changes. What is one thing about your school that needs to change? Is bullying an issue? Do students need longer breaks or a dress code? Choose one vital issue that needs to change and convince school leaders to make it happen.Special guest. Your school is trying to decide on a famous person to give a speech or presentation to students. Who do you think they should choose? Write an essay to convince your principal.Oxford or bust. Is the Oxford comma essential or obsolete?Scribble scrabble. Do students still need to learn cursive handwriting?Co-ed conflict. Would students perform better if more schools were single-gender rather than co-ed? Why or why not?Participation awards. Should there be winners and losers in sports, or is participation the ultimate goal?Homework overload. Write an essay to convince your teacher to assign less homework.Sports. Which sport (or team) is the best? What makes it better than the others?No slacking. Write an essay persuading a fellow student to do their homework. Class trip. This year, students get to vote on where to go for a class trip. Write an essay convincing your fellow students to vote for the place you’d like to go.Superlatives. Which would you rather be: a top student, a talented athlete, or an accomplished artist?Virtual athletes. Video games competitions are often aired on TV and treated like sports competitions. Should video games be considered sports?Class debate. Should classes that students may not use or that don’t interest them (such as physical education or foreign language) be required? Prompts About Relationships Friendships, dating, and other relationships can be both rewarding and exasperating. These writing prompts about relationships will help students explore their feelings about both the positive and the negative moments. Snitch. Your best friend tells you about his plan to cheat on a test. Should you tell an adult? Why or why not?Give it a chance. Your best friend is convinced that she would hate your favorite book, even though shes never read it. Convince her to read it.Friendships vs. relationships. Are friendships or romantic relationships more important in life? Why?Driving age. What age do kids start driving in your state? Is that age too old, too young, or just right? Why?Truth or consequences. Your best friend asks your opinion about something, but you know that a truthful answer will hurt her feelings. What do you do?Who chooses? Your best friend is visiting, and you want to watch TV together, but his favorite show is at the same time as your favorite show. Convince him that your show is a better choice.Fun times. What is the most fun thing you and your best friend have ever experienced together? Why does it deserve the top spot?Dating. Are long-term dating relationships good or bad for teens ? New friends. You want to spend time with a new student at school, but your best friend is jealous. Convince your friend of the importance of including the newcomer.Be mine. Is Valentine’s Day worthwhile or just a scheme for the greeting card and chocolate industry to make more money?Debbie Downer. Should you cut ties with friends or relatives who are always negative?He loves me not. Is it really better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?Elders. Should you respect your elders merely because they are older, or is respect something that must be earned? Prompts About Family, Pets, and Leisure Time The following writing prompts related to family, furry friends, and free time will help students reflect on preferences, ethics, and integrity. Self-reflection. This time, youre the one who needs convincing! Write an essay to persuade yourself to start a healthy habit (or kick a bad habit).Paper wars. Should toilet paper hang with the loose end resting on the top of the roll or hanging from the bottom?Movie vs. book. Choose a book that has been made into a movie. Which version is better, and why?Weekend wanderings. Do you prefer to stay home on the weekends or get out and do things around town? Write an essay to convince your parents to let you do what you prefer this weekend.Sweepstakes. A travel agency is hosting an essay contest to give away an all-expenses-paid trip to the one place in the world you’d most love to visit. Craft a winning essay that convinces them they need to choose you.Zoo debate. Is it ethical to keep animals in zoos? Why or why not?Presence of pets. Should there be limits on the types of places pets can go (e.g. airplanes or restaurants)? Why or why not?Inspiring stories. What is the most inspir ing book you’ve ever read? Why is it so inspiring? Dollar discovery. You find a $20 bill in the parking lot of a crowded store. Is it okay to  keep it, or should you  turn it in to customer service?Vacation day. What is the very best way to spend an unexpected day off from school and why is it the best?Digital or print? Is it better to read books in print or digitally? Why? Prompts About Society and Technology The people and technology around us have a significant impact on our lives. These writing prompts encourage students to consider the effect that society and technological advances have on our day-to-day lives. Reverse technology. Pick one technological advancement that you think the world would be better off without. Explain your reasoning and persuade the reader.Out of this world. Do aliens exist? Why or why not?Social media. Is social media good or bad for society? Why?Emoji. Has the use of emoji stunted our ability to express ourselves in writing, or does it help us identify our emotions more precisely?Auto safety. Have advancements like self-driving cars, blind spot indicators, and lane departure warning systems made driving safer, or have they just made drivers less attentive?Exploration Mars. Write a letter to Elon Musk convincing him that you should be part of a colony to Mars.Fundraisers. Is it okay for kids to stand outside stores and ask shoppers for money for their sports teams, clubs, or band? Why or why not?Inventions. What is the greatest invention ever made? Why is it the best?Important cause. In your opinion, what global problem or issue deserves more attention than it curr ently receives? Why should more time and money be invested in this cause? Minimalism. Does living a minimalist lifestyle make for a happier life? Why or why not?Gaming gains. Are video games generally a positive or a negative influence? Why?Rose-colored glasses. Is the current decade the best era in history? Why or why not?Paper or plastic. Should plastic bags be outlawed?

What is CRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is CRM - Essay Example In addition, a well-managed customer relations system provides the corporate management with the important data about the customer so that the organization can move forward. Indeed, such tools as email organizers and helpdesk software can help in the management of customers since customers are the nerve center of any corporate system. Drawing from my own personal and professional experiences, I can categorically give the MacDonald’s as a good example where customer relations manager has worked well over the years. In this business, the management always engages the customers through various marketing strategies before receiving frequent feedbacks to improve quality. On the other hand, several small and medium scale companies especially those run by one person usually lack the department of customer relations management thereby having some challenges in the effective interacting with customers. For instance, some local manufacturing companies may never advertise their products or services well hence losing many customers or experiencing a fall in profits. This is majorly because there is no institution put in place to address the welfare of the customers. Therefore, customer relations management is an instrumental part of any corporation and it would only be wise in all companies employ it in their manageme nt

Information Technology Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information Technology Questions - Essay Example The idea of "capital" is a central concept of capitalism, the overwhelmingly dominant economic system in the world today. Q: 2 In the past, people believed that "knowledge is power" and they sometimes used such knowledge to "build empire that resulted in isolated, dysfunctional organizational units. In the new knowledge-sharing environment, illustrate how this tendency to hoard knowledge and expertise could be minimized or eliminated To me our knowledge of the way things work, in society or in nature, comes trailing clouds of vagueness. Vast ills have followed a belief in certainty, whether historic inevitability, grand diplomatic designs, or extreme views on economic policy. When developing policy with wide effects for an individual or society, caution is needed because we cannot predict the consequences. The development of ways to deal with complex systems is now taking place in many disciplines, but slowly and not without controversy. Complexity theories fell into some disrepute when some management "gurus" tried to map complex adaptive system theories onto business management and market trading strategies - with less than successful results for investors. It now seems likely that the level of similarity in adaptation strategies between, say, populations of sharks and populations of stock-market day-traders is less than some have "seen." But the broad outlines of all complex systems appear to be tantalizingly analogous and can give us some clues for new things to try - even if we cannot predict in advance that these things will work just like they do in other systems. REFERNCE Alexander Kouzmin and Alan Jarman, "Crisis Decision Making: Towards a Contingent Decisions Path Perspective," in Uriel Rosenthal, Michael T.Charles, and Paul T. Hart, eds., Coping With Crisis: The Management of Disasters, Riots and Terrorism, Springfield IL: Charles C. Thomas Publishers, pp. 397-435 Q: 3 Although it is legal to discover trade secrets through reverse engineering, evaluate whether or not it really should be illegal. ANSWER: Because reverse engineering can be used to reconstruct source code, it walks a fine line in intellectual property law. Many software

Case study Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Strategic Human Resources Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Human Resources Management - Essay Example The case study of South African Breweries (SAB) is an ideal model of organizational development through focus on human resources development to achieve the company's vision. (Johnson, 2000). The alignment of the company's vision with performance enhancement and innovation led to overall development of the organization. Planning and structuring of programme of human resources development formed the focal point to achieve growth globally in an environment which was in a state of flux in South Africa. This change was achieved by strategic human resources management thinking by the Human Resources Department of the company. High performance working and planned organizational development through the human resources perspective are thus seen to form a link in strategic human resources management The growth of the information, knowledge and service economy brought about the need to adapt a more flexible model of working wherein work is a dynamic rather than a cyclical process exemplified by the assembly line in the concept popularized by Taylor. (HPW, 2006). The Taylorian model is seen to be quite inefficient and ineffective in delivering services in the modern economy focused on the need to design solutions for individual customers. High performance working on the other hand places emphasis on policies in organizations that are people centric thereby enhancing the focus on delivering the best to the customer down the chain. This has necessitated a large cultural shift in many organizations which may or may not be wholly accepted by many people. HPW has been defined as evolving a decentralized, non hierarchical flat organizational structure with limited management control, high level of autonomous working based on trust and commitment and team working. (HPW, 2006). As culture involves both strategy and people, there is an innate link between HPW and strategic human resources management. The implementation of HPW is a powerful strategic shift to ensure personnel development is a change which is implemented organizationally. The need to adopt a wholly new and dynamic culture is essential. The key focus of this strategy is on the human resources staff that has to ensure implementation of the concept in an internal environment which may or may not be supportive of the same. For HPW to succeed the vision of the company has to shift to providing value to the customer and aligning the product to the needs of the customer. This will have to be a vision based, top down process which can be implemented through out the organization in a systematic manner. Holbeche (2002) has provided a check list for high performance organizations which have adopted HPW. The key components of HPW have been designated as development of people through structured training programmes to manage the self, build team capabilities and capacities to implement projects simultaneously with improvement of performance and fulfilling the goals of the organization. The aim should be to create an evolved, committed employee down the chain to enable delivery of core service to the customer. The process of HPW is thus a change from the traditional model and there is as much emphasis on team building, trust and commitm

Environmentally Sustainable Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

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Article analyze Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Article analyze - Essay Example Enterprises are anticipated to follow GAAP guidelines when broadcasting their financial information in their financial statements. The article ‘New mechanisms of FASB and IASB’ discusses on whether to adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards or not. An argument prevails between the Financial Accounting Standard Board and (FASB) and the International accounting standard Board (IASB) over the adoption of such principles. On 10th January 2013, the leaders of the boards mentioned above held a meeting to discuss the formation of joint accounting Principles. IASB seemed not to agree with the mutual setting of the accounting principles. Instead, it seemed to be on the side of single-setting the accounting guidelines without involving FASB (Tysiac, 2013). The indecisiveness of SEC forced Hoogervorst, the chairman of FASB, to declare the harmonization of principle bodies in formulating common and accepted accounting principles. Hoogervorst stated that it was very imperative if the principle bodies moved closer and formed mutual standards (Tysiac, 2013). In the previous definition, it was clear that accounting standards are achieved only when policy Boards come closer to form a common Idea. Thus, the issue of the IASB formulating its rules without involvement of FASB is not classified as ‘the acceptable accounting principles’. As quoted from his speech, Hoogervorst said, ‘As long as there is no decision (by the SEC); the best you can do is try to move as close together as possible.’ I agree with him because for a principle to become accepted, all policy bodies must participate in formulating the standards (Tysiac, 2013). Hoogervorst idea of forming accepted accounting principles is very significant. First and foremost, it improves transformed precision. Secondly, it leads to likely simplification. Third, enhances transparency and finally, it helps to compare between different

Environmentally Sustainable Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Environmentally Sustainable Business - Essay Example Other initiatives include development of aero-engines that are friendlier to the environment and airframes that are efficient. The aviation industry has also developed ways of assisting communities and passengers comprehend the concept of climate change and pollution resulting from use of the airlines. Aviation Industry players are undertaking the initiatives to mitigate the negative environmental effects caused by the activities in the aviation industry. The activist stage explain that societal issues caused by businesses or organizations are new and very few people understand the extent of their good or bad sides to the society. As a result, activists are ignored because they are not supported by facts or evidence. Proponents of the new societal issues are normally ignored or dismissed by the business community and authority. The proponents championing for societal rights are activists (Zadek 2004). According to the SA (2009) report, issues of environmental challenges had already emerged in the UK aviation industry, and the authorities, airlines and the communities have negotiated mitigation measures. This stage had been by-passed because powerful coalition was underway to deal with the environmental challenges of aviation industry. The coalition is comprised of airlines, Airport Operators Association (AOA), the British Air Transport Association (BAT), the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) and NATS (AS 2009). The second stage is the emerging stage. This stage recognises that the political and media community know and understand the societal issues. There are research bodies that emerge to study the cropping societal issues in the UK aviation caused by aviation activities and processes. The second stage has also been by-passed because climate change, noise and air pollution have become common knowledge in the United Kingdom especially among air operators. Researches have also been commissioned while monitoring and evaluation frameworks have been

Dealing with an Irritable Child Using the Behaviorist Theory Essay

Dealing with an Irritable Child Using the Behaviorist Theory - Essay Example Hence, Behaviorism is also sometimes called the Stimulus-Response or S-R Theory. Since learning is developed to become a reflex action, Behaviorism largely works under the mechanics of Classical Conditioning. Classical conditioning has fundamental requirements in order to be effective. The first of these is contiguity, which refers to the degree of association between the reinforcer and the behavior that is being aimed at (Klein, 2011). Contiguity plays an important role in conditioning because it is what connects the stimulus and the consequent response that is hoped to achieve (Gordon & Browne, 2010). Next, conditioning will be effective only if there is sufficient frequency at which the behavior is being drawn out. The required response will only become automatic upon application of stimulus if S-R bonds have been established many times before (Klein, 2011). Finally, the required behavior will be achieved by classical conditioning if the proper reinforcement is applied. Reinforcem ent is the mechanism used to increase the chances that the response that preceded it will occur again (Klein, 2011). There are different kinds of reinforcements in terms of their desirability. First, positive reinforcement is a pleasant stimulus that aims to strengthen a response if it is given after the response occurs. For example, offering a child candy for taking out the trash is positive reinforcement. On the other hand, negative reinforcement is the removal of an undesirable stimulus after a response (Gordon & Browne, 2010). For example, excusing a child from household chores because of good grades in school demonstrates a negative reinforcement. Both positive and negative reinforcements fortifies or reinforces the response that preceded the reinforcement. Unlike reinforcements, a punishment decreases the occurrence of a response because of the introduction of an undesirable stimulus following the response (Klein, 2011). It should be noted that the Behaviorist Theory needs to satisfy certain assumptions and implications. Proponents of the Behaviorist Learning Theory believe that human begin as a blank slate, one that needs to be filled with programmed responses to certain stimuli (Gordon & Browne, 2010). In addition, behaviorists have modeled a strongly deterministic theory of learning. However, one should keep in mind that while behaviorist strategies may apply without failure on animals, animal behavior is still very much different from human behavior in terms of thoughts, ideas, emotions, and feelings (O' Boyle, 2006). II. Proponents of the Behaviorist Theory The different proponents of Behaviorist Theory include B. F. Skinner, Ivan Pavlov, and John B. Watson. B. F. Skinner was the most significant contributor to the Behaviorist Theory. He fashioned quantitative and scientific experiments that would prove the premises of Behaviorism (Taylor, 2008). His vast research on operant conditioning is still being widely used today and is considered as a main a uthority in the field. Ivan Pavlov is most notable in the Behaviorist circle for his conditioning experiments. One of his experiments included ringing a bell and accompanying the ringing bell with food powder which made a dog salivate (Lefrancois, 2011). Later on, even without the food powder, the dog would salivate upon hearing the bell ring. John

Helping Children Master the Basic Facts Essay Example for Free

Helping Children Master the Basic Facts Essay The chapter â€Å"Strategies for Multiplication Facts† provides detailed overview of strategies used for mastering and enlarging multiplication facts. It is suggested that basic facts may be improved due to relating existing knowledge to new facts. The author outlines five group strategies stating that the first four are easier and they cover 75% of multiplication facts. Nevertheless, it is noted the offered strategies are simply suggestions, not the rules to follow. Actually, these strategies help students think of various facts easily. The special attention in the chapter is paid to doubles, zeroes and ones, helping facts, division facts and ‘near facts’, etc. It is noted that fact remediation should be used in case when students are unable to master basic facts mentioned above. Such students need new approach to comprehend basic facts. Therefore, fact remediation is of great importance, because it aims at providing hope for students having problems with mathematics. Often students experiencing difficulties with getting facts, start thinking they are unable to learn facts at all. The author recommends to â€Å"let these children know that you will help them and that you will provide some new ideas that will help them as well†. (184) It is admitted in the chapter that students who comprehend the basic multiplication facts doesn’t reason better that student who find it difficult to get the idea of basic facts. The author states that nowadays the goal of mathematics isn’t simply to learn how to count, instead it aims at learning how to reason, how to make the sense of things around. What is more important, mathematics develops the skills of critical thinking and punctuality. Mathematics teaches students to solve problems and, therefore, students experiencing difficulties with mastering basic facts shouldn’t be excluded from mathematical experiences. Summing up, the author claims that all students should be involved in â€Å"exciting and meaningful experiences, they have real motivation to learn facts and real opportunities to develop relationships that can aid in that endeavor†. (185) References Van De Walle, John. (2003). Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally. USA: Allyn Bacon.

Meddling Media :: essays research papers fc

I used to watch a really nice TV program every weekend. It is a youth-oriented show if my memory serves me right. Athough I cannot remember the whole story any more, something we may call â€Å"a mere make believe† left an indelible mark in my memory. This is how it goes. Two of the many characters in the show were best of friends. They shared their secrets to one another, fought for each other, and cared for one another. Well of course that’s within the idea of the scriptwriter and the instructions of the director. Some people would think that those two artists are really best friends in real life because they portrayed their roles effectively. It so happened that I was able to watch a showbiz news the following day, and what I heard somehow caught my attention; those two artists that I mentioned earlier were actually enemies in real life! . At this point in time it is really hard to distinguish fallacy from reality. This is due to the very creative minds of the ones that created the media. Technology is now at its peak and it steadily and rapidly advances that most of the times, although only a few notices, authenticity is gradually being covered up by clouds of erroneous beliefs. â€Å"We are bombarded today by such a quantity of images that we can no longer distinguish direct experience from what we have seen for a few seconds on television. The memory is littered with bits and pieces of images, like a rubbish dump.† This was said by Italo Calvino, a Cuban-born Italian novelist and short-story writer. Though he died almost 20 years ago, what he said is slowly but surely taking its place in this world. Definitely, these media effects are now changing the mindset of our present generation; furthermore these also alter their lifestyle. And these will certainly continue shifting lives in the near future. Media may come in different forms: broadcasting, communication, journalism, multimedia, newspapers, periodicals and telecommunication. All of these play major roles in sometimes improving, but also destroying societies. But the one that has the most enormous upshot in our society is broadcasting, which includes in itself televisions and radios. Statistics shows estimation that almost 1.8 billion of radios and 800 million televisions are in use world wide. Just imagine how many people it could reach in every single tick of a clock.

What is Clinical Depression? Essay -- depressed mood, diminished press

What is depression? Depression is an illness that can take over a person’s life---it can take their happiness and their will to live. This illness can effect adults, teenagers, and even kids. â€Å"Depression is an equal opportunity disorder---- it can affect anyone of any group, any background, any race, any gender, and any age. It is the great leveler of all groups and can take the greatest and the smallest of us all and reduce us to the pain and nothingness that is depression (Nydegger 1)†. Depression is an emotion most people may feel they have experienced, but little do they know it’s just the basic emotions we feel. It is important to identify the symptoms of depression, the types of depression, who can get them and how they manifest, in other to be able to treatment them. The experience of depression has a profound effect on the lives and health of millions of people around the world. We all experience mood swing, and most of us think that we have experienced true depression and think they understand clinical depression and even know what it feels like; to be honest those emotions we feel are not half as much as what a depressed person goes through. Depression is more than experiencing a difficult day or event or being in a bad mood. Sometimes, people seek help even though they are not clinically depressed because they think they need the help they get from a psychologist. When speaking to a depressed individual, it is very important to know the occasion that lead to their emotional trauma. Depressed mood is not the same as a depressed disorder. According to Nydegger, â€Å"Depressed mood is a negative affective or emotional quality such as feeling sad, miserable, gloominess for a period of time. Depressive disorder refers t... ...oxepine) †¢ Surmontil (trimipramine) †¢ Toframil (imipramine) †¢ Vivactil (protriptyline) Depression is a serious and common problem that affects people of all social class and racial group throughout the world. They are good and affordable treatment for depression. Most people who have depression do not receive adequate treatment. We must do more and do better to take care of ourselves. It is not easy for any of us to tackle a problem of this magnitude, but by being responsible and taking care of our own health and mental well-being needs, we can also reach out to help others who are dealing with depression or other mental issues by sharing with them information’s and pointing them in the right direction to find the help they need. Work Cited Rudy V. Nydegger Understanding and Treating Depression: Ways to Find Hope and Help. Praeger, August 30, 2008

Bharati Mukherjee, American Dreamer Essay

The thing that is most significant about this title was that you have to realize the true essence of judging a person for being regular instead of judging someone by their handicap. The title’s significance seems to be a certain way of getting to know what the article may be about. The title itself gives off a sense of mystery being that the title is drawing the reader into actually finding out what this article is going to be about. It is like the author had wanted to make the title pop out to you and draw you in making you want to read about the article. Kind of like a cliffhanger in stories that draws the reader to want to read more about it. The author’s purpose of this article is to try to inform readers about his/her personal idea and opinion. The author may be trying to inform readers about what has gone in a certain situation and what has also been done about the current situation. The author is informing readers about a certain technique that the British police have used to interrogate people. Mainly trying to determine whether people are actually lying in these interrogations. The author says that the United States will be the next to learn the techniques. My own personal experience would be how I try to determine whether someone is lying to me. I always want to know if there are people who will lie instead of just telling the truth in the end. I have realized that people will lie about any type of thing just to get whatever they want in life. I honestly can’t agree with people who will lie. I respect everything that the British has done by developing this certain technique.

Choosing a School Essay

Wanting to further your education, but faced with too many choices? Don’t think you can find the time in your busy schedule? There are many options out there now, that are becoming more popular. Not too long ago online schooling was not looked at as an acceptable method of education by employers. Before 2006 you could not even use a Federal student loan to attend an online school. As time has now shown both types of schooling, online and traditional, provide the same quality of education. Some traditional schools even offer some of their classes online to give you some freedom with your time while still being a part of the campus. Online versus traditional schooling offer different methods of learning that may appeal to students because of the atmosphere and the convenience. While both online and traditional schools do their best to cater to the needs of all their students, there are just some things that cannot be done online. If you are a visual or audio learner either type of school will work for you. If you are a hands on type of learner you might find yourself having an easier time learning in a more traditional school setting. This is not to say that you could not utilize an online school but, you may have a harder time or find it more time consuming having to find ways to turn your lesson into a physical thing that you have an easier time with. You have to be self motivate with an online school as well, the instructor is not at your home to remind you that paper is due in two days. If you need their help you have to try to call or e-mail. For some people not having an instructor at their disposal is not an option, they need someone to be almost looking over their shoulder encouraging them to press on, for this type of student online may not be the way to go. You have to be motivated to go the extra distance and use the resource available to you to further your education. The atmosphere is also different. With an online school you get to create your own atmosphere. If you find music helps you focus play whatever music you want. Have 20 minutes to spare after your shower? You can do your school work in your towel if you like. With an online education you can do your create a place that is comfortable for you. If one day you need to get out of the house you can still do your work just grab your laptop and go to the park, or beach. You don’t have to be tied down to the same building and surrounds with an online education like you do in a more traditional setting. You don’t have to deal with other distracting you, if your study spot has too many distractions move. In a more traditional setting you are confined to the same four walls surrounded by the same people daily. This provides a very structured place to learn but some people may find this boring and uncomfortable. Convenience is another big part of if an online school or traditional school is better for you is time. A traditional school is on a schedule, this makes working a full time job or trying to raise a family more difficult. With an online school you can work you classes into when you have free time. Many online schools have applications that you can use on you smart phone or tablet that will let you keep up on your discussion questions whenever you find yourself with free time. This relieves some of the stress of trying to find time to keep up with your work. Online schooling also provides you with the convinces of choosing what time is good for you to log in. you are a night owl and want to do your work at 3am, just long in. As long as you meet the requirements for attendance and participation, turning all of you assignments in on time, they won’t care what time of day you do your work. There are many of reasons to choose one school over another. It all comes down to your personal preference. Take the time to evaluate your needs and research your options. Every school whether it is online or traditional will better suite one person over another. Take your time; ask yourself the following questions before picking the school you are making a commitment. Do you need direct human interaction or can you just chat online? Will the busy schedule of your life allow you to take large chunks out of your day to go to school or will you have to break it up over the course of the entire day when you have time? These are all things you need to answer for yourself before you can pick a school that will be right for you. Online schools provide a greater freedom, where you are when you long in, when you log in, how active you are in your participation. They also require you to be more self motivated and responsible for yourself. Traditional schools will provide you with a more structured plan, you know when and where you have to be and you are surrounded by human interaction. The instructor is right there for you, if you find yourself needing extra guidance.

Advertising Ethics: a Contextual Response Based on Classical Ethical Theory

Advertising Ethics: A Contextual Response Based on Classical Ethical Theory Cornelius B. Pratt E. LincolnJames ABSTRACT. F. P. Bishop argues that the ethical standard for advertising practitioners nmst be utilitarian. Indeed, the utilitarian theory of ethics in decision-making has traditionally been the preference of U. S. advertisingpractitioners. This article, therefore, argues that the U. S. advertising industry's de-emphasisof ;ontological ethics is a reason for its continuing struggle with unfavorable public perceptions of its ethics – and credibility.The perceptions of four scenarios on advertisingethics and the analyses of the openended responses of 174 members of the American Advertising Federation to those scenarios suggest that advertising practitioners need a stricter adherence to deontological ethics than is indicated in this study. Advertising, a traditionally high-profile management function since World War II, perpetuates a paradox. On the one hand, it is common ly touted by business and the academy as a major economic, social and competitive force in post-world war economies. On the other hand, it is, invariably, a bull's-eye for public wrath.Cowton (1992), Crisp (1987), and Litttechild (1982), for example, present evidence on consumer suspicion and antipathy toward and investor concerns about advertising Cornelius B. Pratt is Associate Professor in the Department of Advertising, at Michigan State University. His research has been published in suchjournals as the Journal of Media Planning, Journal of Business Ethics, Public Relations Review, Public RelationsJournal, Public Relations Quarterly, and Journalism Quarterly. E. LincolnJames is Associate Professorand Assistant Chairperson in tke Department of Advertising at Michigan State University.His work has appeared in several scholarlyjournals, including the International Journal of Advertising,Journal of Advertising, Journal of Direct Marketing, Journal of Media Planning, and Weberforschun g und Praxis. ethics. Such antipathy and concerns have a considerable history, having begun earlier in this century (Rogers, 1990). Since a national meeting of the Advertising Federation of America in March 1942, during which it created a 39-point code of ethics for advertising during World War II (The New York Times, 1942), U. S. ublics and regulatory agencies and businesses worldwide have had a consuming interest in ethics. In his widely acclaimed book,The Ethics of Advertising, Bishop (t949) argues that the ethicai standards of advertising should â€Å"meet the practical requirements of society at a given stage of development† (p. 88). Thus he suggests utilitarian, relativistic, not rigid, standards of ethics for the ad industry. In Nevett's (1985) rebuttal to Bishop's (1949) argument, he concluded: â€Å"The ethical case for advertising stands in need of rigorous re-examination† (p. 04). The industry is not oblivious to such a need; existing programs are being reva mped and others are being developed to respond to ethical issues. Indeed, selfregulation for socially responsible conduct has become an attractive option of industry associations as advertising practitioners report that their activities conform to the principles of business conduct, adopted March 2, 1984, by the Board of Directors of the American Advertising Federation (,~a~F)(Chonko et al. , 1987).This article re-examines advertising ethics and argues that the perfunctory adherence of the advertising industry to deontotogical ethics results in a public perception of the industry as more susceptible, on the average, to ethical dilemmas than are most other management functions. So pervasive is this perception that Bergerson (1991-1992), chairman of the Self-Regulation Committee of the AAF, criticized industry efforts that were largely directed at treating the symptoms of the problem rather than Journal of Business Ethics 13: 455–468, 1994.  © 1994 KluwerAcademic Publishers.P rinted in the Netherlands. 456 C. B. Pratt and E. L. James Greyser and Reece's (1971) update of the 1962 HBR study (Greyser, 1962) indicated that while business leaders had a continuing strong respect for the economic role of advertising, advertising standards had slipped in some areas from standards reported in 1962; and, advertising content, particularly its perceived truthfulness, drew major criticisms. More recent research underscores a rising tide of questionable practices and ethical problems among advertising practitioners (Carson et al. 1985; Hunt and Chonko, 1987; Nevett, 1985; Ossip, 1985; Rotzoll and Christians, 1980; Haefner, 1991).Consequently, Bergerson (1991–1992), for example, observes cynicism and indifference among the public toward advertising: â€Å"If the legislators, regulators and the public perceived advertisers to be more committed to legal and high ethical standards, their level of trust wilt rise and their level of unwelcome attention will fallâ₠¬  (p. 22). the problem itself. â€Å"Everyone in the industry should be interested in being a part of the solution,† Bergerson (1991-1992) wrote. The solution is to restore and maintain advertising's credibility† (p. 22). Purposes of study The purposes of this study are twofold. First, it examines AAF members' perceptions of four scenarios on advertising ethics, and analyzes their reasons for perceiving such scenarios as they did. Because members of the AAF — the largest association of advertising practitioners in the United States – operate in the trenches of the U. S. advertising industry, their perceptions could be typical of those in the industry.Based on their comments, the present study argues that deontological ethics be applied more readily to decision-making than is currently the case. Second, this study links practitioners' perceptions to ethical theories. Such a linkage is important because â€Å"(ethical) theories are like windows onto the w orld of moral reasoning. They are meant to provide vantage points from which important ethical decisions can be considered† (Lambeth, 1986, p. 25). The results of this study are, therefore, presented within the specific framework of classical theory: deontology.Theoretical framework: The classical ethical theory ofdeontology Advertising practitioners continually explore ethical systems that will guide their decision-making processes. Lambeth (1986) observes that such a â€Å"system of ethics cannot ignore the classical approaches of deontology and teleology, or the variants of them† (p. 28), and identifies the characteristics of such a system: A system of ethics must be flexible,but not so flexibleas to be a mere rationalization for the personal preferences of those who invoke it.In short, a systemmust have bite and give direction. Its precepts should offer continuity and stability, though not necessarilyinvariant outcomes. Rationale for study The growing literature on the morality of business practices indicates that, aside from greater semitivities to the environment and greater emphasis on a number of socially responsible actions, businesses, for the most part, still face ethical issues that were prevalent in the 1960s. The advertising profession, as business, is no less immune to the unsavory public perceptions of business ethics in general.Almost 30 years ago, while a Harvard Business Review (HBR ) survey of business leaders indicated great respect for and an improvement in the standards of advertising during 10 previous years, there was a greater tendency on the part of the leaders to think that a code of ethical pracnces was more desirable for advertising than it was for their own industries (Greyser, 1962). (p. 28) Kantian ethics, a time-honored classical ethical theory, provides the framework for discussing the implications of self-reported ethics for the advertising industry.Deontology is a duty-based, nonconsequentialist theory of ethic s that asserts that certain, human actions are inherently† right or wrong. (Eighteenth-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) provided much of the moral reasoning for pure deontology. ) The emphasis is on the doer's actions. For example, it is always wrong to steal, lie or break a promise; it is one's moral duty to Advertising and ClassicalEtflical Theory tell the truth and to keep one's promises – regardless of the consequences.Universalizing an action is one criterion offered by Kant for determining the ethics of a decision or action. Does the decision, action, or advertising message treat people as ends or as means toward an end? Kantian ethics requires that the doer respect the rights, status and dignity of the people with whom she or he interacts. Deontology has a unique appeal to and major implications for the ethics of advertising practitioners. Consequently, the continuing search for clear-cut do's and don'ts is a major focus of a number of advertising departments, agencies, and associations.One worldwide approach to such a search is the adoption of an ethics code whose imperatives, with a deontological bent, require, for example, that â€Å"we will not knowingly create advertisement that contains false or misleading statement or exaggerations, visual or verbal† (American Association, 1990). Such self-regulation by codes of ethics is, therefore, one far-reaching measure the advertising industry has taken to address the everyday ethical questions that it confronts. Such a strategy contradicts Ekehind and Saurman's (1988) argument that such codes may not improve the professionalism of the practice.The rationale for such codes, argue advertising practitioners, is that the industry can distinguish right fi'om wrong. Beyond that, such self-regulation has the advantage of addressing headon some of the unfavorable public perceptions of advertising. The eight-item Advertising Principles of American Business, adopted Mar ch 2, 1984, by the American Advertising Federation Board of Directors, is replete with non-conditional, unequivocal â€Å"shalls† and â€Å"shall nots,† again, indicative of deontological requirements or proscriptions.Similarly, the Standards of Practice of the American Association of Advertising Agencies uses â€Å"musts† and â€Å"will nots† to disapprove unethical conduct among practitioners. These principles and standards satisfy both the principle of unity† and Kant's categorical imperative and reject the notion of situational ethics (Briggs and Bernal, 1992). Thus, theoretically, the advertising practice embraces non-conditional ethical requirements. A number of professional associations that seek self-regulation of advertising in the United States have adopted a number of codes of conduct to 57 which practitioners are expected to adhere, emphasizing, in essence, the importance of deontological ethics. Research questions This study poses three research questions: a What are AAF members' overall perceptions of advertising ethics as oudined in four scenarios on ethics? [] Do such perceptions vary significantly by the type of ethical issue confronted? a What are the implications of the classical theory† of deontology for the self-reported ethics of the sample practitioners?Method Questionnaire development A three-part questionnaire that had six statements on each of four potentially troublesome scenarios on moral issues was designed and pretested for clarity† and face validity on 20 respondents randomty selected from the relevant population. Responses to six statements on eachscenario were anchored on a four-point scale: 1 for â€Å"definitely yes,† 4 for â€Å"definitely no. † Respondents were requested 😠® comment briefly on their responses to the scenarios.The scenarios were developed by reviewing the standards of practice developed by three advertising associations: the 55,000-member AAF, the largest association of advertising professionals whose code of ethics was established in 1965; the American Association of Advertising Agencies, whose code was first adopted in 1924; and the National Advertising Division/ National Advertising Review Board, whose ethics code was created in 1971. The reviews identified issues of greatest ethical concern to the advertising industry.Additionally, the research literature on ethics in marketing and advertising was also examined for insights on formulating the scenarios. Hunt and Chonko (1987), for example, in extending an earlier study by Rotzoll and Christians (1980), identified six 458 C. B. Pratt and E. L. James Data collection major ethical problems from the responses of 269 advertising executives to an open-ended question: â€Å"Would you please briefly describe the aspect of advertising that poses the most difficult ethical or moral problem confronting you in your daily work? † (p. 19).Also, Wood et al. (1988) used 16 vig nettes to examine the ethics of business students and business professionals. Similarly, Bellizzi and Hite (1989), DeConinck and Good (1989), Dubinsky et al. (1991), Fraedrich and Ferrell (1992), and Mason et al. (1990) used scenarios, vignettes and statements to assess respondents' perceptions of ethics. Such hypothetical, ethics-related scenarios provide insights into business ethics, and have been found useful in replicating real-world situations for the purpose of evaluating moral conduct (DeConinck and Good, 1989; Dubinsky et al. 1991; Madden, 1989; Hegarty and Sims, 1979). A single-wave mail survey was used to collect data from the practitioner sample from the fall of 1991 through the winter of 1992. To encourage candid practitioner responses and to obtain an optimal response rate, a hand-typed, individually addressed covering letter, in which respondent's anonymity was assured, accompanied each questionnaire. A business-reply envelope was in each piece of mail. Respondents we re requested not to write any identifying information on the questionnaire. Results [email  protected]'le on respondents SamplingA systematic random sampling procedure was used to select names of AAF clubs and federations from the 1991 roster of the AAF. Following the receipt of notification that club participation in the survey had been approved, we mailed 2,010 copies of the questionnaire to executive directors or secretaries of clubs. Copies were distributed during general meetings of the clubs. Four hundred eighty-one of the 2,010 copies were returned in a single-wave mailing, yielding a 23. 9% response rate. Only 460 (22. 9%)were usable. This low response rate is consistent with those of similar studies (Akaah, 1990; Chonko et aI. 1987; Fritzsche and Becket, 1984; Greyser and Reece, 1971; Hunt et al. , 1984; Myers et al. , 1980; Randall and Gibson, 1990), which reported response rates between 17% and 31%. One hundred seventy-four respondents provided reasons for their respons es to all four scenarios, for an item-response rate of 37. 8%. Because one purpose of this study is to analyze respondents' reasons for their philosophical perceptions, the analyses of responses focus on those respondents who provided such comments. Table I presents a seven-item profile on the 174 respondents. The gender split was almost equal.About 4% of the respondents were 25 years or younger, 29% were between 26 and 34 years old and 34% between 35 and 43 years old. Eight percent and 5. 7% were in the 53-years-to-61-years and the 62years-or-older categories, respectively. Respondents represented each of 25 states in the United States. However, four states – California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan – each had 10 or more open-ended responses. California, with 44 returns, had the most responses. More than one-half of the respondents had between one and 10 years of full-6me advertising experience, 26% between 11 and 20 years' experience, and 11% between 21 and 30 years' experience.About 1%had more than 40 years' experience. With regard to respondents' institutional affiliations, about 44% worked in an advertising agency or department, 17% in companies or corporations, 3. 4% in nonprofit organizations, and 32% in other organizations. About 35% of the respondents indicated that they were in top-management positions, for example, as owners, presidents, executive vice presidents, vice presidents, and directors. Twenty-six percent were categorized in upper-middle management positions: division heads, supervisors, managers.About 40% were categorized in lower-middle management positions, for example, as account executives, while 3%were categorized as non-management personnel. Advertising and Classical EtkicaI Theory TABLE I A demographic profile on respondents (N = 174), in percentages Gender Female Male States with 10 or more responses California Colorado Illinois Michigan 25. 3 6. 9 5. 7 10. 9 50. 6% 49. 4 459 While 24% of the respondents did not super vise any employees, a majority held supervisory positions. About 63% supervised between one and 10 eraployees, 7% between l l and 20, and about 3% more than 21 employees.Respondents' evaluation of and conmaents o n scenarios Scenario No. h (Giving gifts to a potential client) This scenario focused on a female ad person who gave gifts to a potential client with the intent of receiving assistance from the client in obtaining the latter's account. Slightly more than one-half of the respondents said that the ad person was wrong, t7% reported that she should be fired, 40% would do just what she did, while 56% said that most ad execs would do as she did. About 83% said their firms should address the situation formally in a policy.In this scenario, gift-giving perse was not an issue; however, the intent of that practice is important because one study (Hire and Beltizzi, 1987) indicated that gifts tend to obligate a client to a firm. Some respondents in the present study considered it a bri be. One, for example, wrote: â€Å"Any company I managed had a written policy on such matters. Mary would have been reprimanded orally and in writing. A copy would be placed in personnel file. This would contain a ‘warning. ‘ Next time, fired. † Another: â€Å"If it was an overt bribe it was wrong. If it was really a gift then no problem. A respondent who was blunt about the wrongness of the conduct defended its widespread occurrence in the industry: â€Å"What Mary did was wrong, but it is common practice in a more subtle way. † Perhaps reflecting the percentage of respondents who said that most ad executives would do what the ad person did, a number of respondents pointed out that the situation â€Å"happens quite frequently,† that it is â€Å"common practice,† that â€Å"‘gifts' is a highly ambiguous term,† that it is â€Å"standard in the industry,† that most account executives â€Å"routinely give away whatever they can to get business,† and that â€Å"romancing the client is part of business. Therefore, they think that nor much is wrong with it. In fact, most argued that it depended on the nature of the gift. Age 25 or younger 26–34 35–43 44–52 53–61 62 or older Years in full-time advertising 0 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 More than 40 years Work Setting Advertising agency/department Public relations agency/department Non-profit organization Company/corporation Other Management position Top management Upper-middle management Lower-middle management Number of employeessupervised 0 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 5t or higher 24. 1 62. 7 6. 9 2. 9 1. 7 1. 1 0. 6 34. 5 25. 8 39. 7 43. 7% 3. 4 3. 4 17. 2 32. 2 6. 52. 3 25. 9 10. 9 2. 9 1. 1 4. 0 29. 3 33. 9 19. 0 8. 0 5. 7 460 C. B. Pratt and E. L. James TABLE lI Responses to statements on ethics scenarios % yesa Mean u SD Statements on Scenario No. 1 (Giving gifts to a potential client) 1. What Mary- did was wrong. 2. Ma ry should be fired. 3. I would do just what Mary did. 4. Most ad execs would do just what Mary† did. 5. My firm/dept, has a policy, either written or oral, that addresses this situation or practice. 6. Regardless of mr† response to No. 5, it is a good idea for my firm/dept, to have a policy, either written or oral, that addresses the situation or practice.Statements on Scenario No. 2 (Lying about an update on an account) 1. What John did was wrong. 2. John should be fired. 3. I would do just what John did. 4. Most ad execs would do just what John did. 5. My firm/dept, has a policy-, either written or oral, that addresses this situation or practice. 6. Regardless of my response to No. 5, it is a good idea for my finrddept, to have a policy, either written or oral, that addresses the situation or practice. Statements on Scenario No. 3 (Seeking confidential information) 1. What Pete did was wrong. 2. Pete should be fired. 3. I would dojffst what Pete did. . Most ad execs wo uld do just what Pete did. 5. My firm/dept, has a policy, either written or oral, that addresses this situation or practice. 6. Regardless of my response to No. 5, it is a good idea for my firm/dept, to have a policy, either written or oral, that addresses the situation or practice. 63 18 40 47 22 2. 16 3. 35 2. 01 2. 43 3. 28 1. 14 0. 852 0. 961 0. 856 0. 917 59 18 57 78 24 2. 29 3. 43 2. 48 3. 00 3. 23 1. 05 55 17 40 56 31 2. 36 3. 40 2. 01 2. 62 2. 99 1. 18 0. 811 0. 982 0. 939 1. 15 83 1. 68 0. 918 0. 807 1. 03 0. 825 1,05 72 2. 04 1. 05 67 2. 12 1. 01Advertising and Classical Ethical Theoly Table)8 (Continued) %yes ~ Statements on Scenario No. 4 (Using outdated data) Mean b 46 t SD What Sally did was wrong. Sallyshould be fired. I would do just what Sally did. Most ad execs would dojust what Sally did. My firm/dept, has a policy, either written or oral, that addresses this situation or practice. 6. Regardless of my response to No. 5, it is a good idea for my firm/dept, to have a policy, either writtm. ~or oral, that addresses the situation or practice. I. 2. 3. 4. 5. 82 46 11 36 41 t . 62 2. 68 1. 51 2. 26 2. 84 0. 993 1. 07 0. 742 0. 9 t0 1. 12 81 1. 77 0. 39 a Percent responding â€Å"definitely yes† or â€Å"maybe yes. † b On a four-point scale, with 1 = â€Å"definitely yes† and 4 = â€Å"definitely no. † A lower mean score indicates a stronger agreement with a statement. Another, perhaps thinking situationally, asked: â€Å"Is it a pen, a ticket to a concert, or an automobile? † A president of an ad agency said: â€Å"Often, in this business, I encounter prospective clients that have been ‘wined and dined' by their previous agency. Some expert preferential treatment. The prospects that find this offensive and rely mostly on our agency's ethics, expertise and integrity are those we desire.This philosophy has lost us business, slowed our growth . . . . Business ethics unfortunately in the ad business is perceiv ed next to snake oil salesmen! † was wrong substantiated their positions with the following reasons: â€Å"There definitely are times when one must prioritize his/her workload . . . One should not lie to the client but instead talk openly about a schedule of completion and possibly see ifa delay would be acceptable. † D,- â€Å"Schedules for each project~client are developed on approval of estimates. All work is to be done per that schedule, regardless of dollars involved. â€Å"A company should try to meet a ctienCs deadlines no matter the size o f the account. † O n the other hand, some of those who felt nothing wrong had occurred said: ‘[john did tell the t r u t h . . . For John to tell the whole truth is simply suicidal. Agencies are always juggling workloads. † m,- â€Å"What John said was not a definite lie. As long as you do not directly tie about a scenario, don't worry. † m,- ‘[John did what most people would do, then work a li ttle harder to get the other work OUt. † &enario No. 2: (Lying about an update on an account)This scenario was on the failure o f an ad agency staffer to tell a client the truth about the status o f the client's account, which had been set aside temporarily in preference for a newer, higher-hilling account. Fifty-nine percent said that the ad agency staffer was wrong, 18% said that he should be fired, 57% reported that they would do just what he did, while 78% said that most ad execs would do what the staff did. About 72% said their agencies should address the situation in a policy. Some of those who argued that the agency staff â€Å"I see no reason to forfeit future business and, 462 C. B. Pratt and E. L. James herefore, would use whatever means necessary to maintain the relationship. † did. Eighty-one percent said that their agencies should address situation in a policy. Respondents were clearly angered by the ad executive's action. A respondent said: â€Å"This con duct is indefensible. The client paid for both the campaign and the research (I assume) and is entitled to their results. † â€Å"There should be truth in advertising and in all of life's encounters, business or personal. † Another: â€Å"Sally practiced deception in not using those current poll results. The client is bound to find out what sort of results the corporate image has, eventually. Yet another: â€Å"Bad judgment to cover up facts. Corrective measures to improve numbers in future campaigns should be provided to client. † Some arguments made in behalf of the ad executive: †¢ â€Å"They [the numbers] can be used as indicators, but not absolutes. How many people do you know that have participated in TV Nielsen rating surveys and how many programs have the networks cut or kept that you disagree with? † â€Å"What Sally did was not necessarily wrong or right, given the question. Possibly the campaign required more impact, time, etc. Too many v ariables in this situation to judge ethics. † â€Å"Numbers are arbitrary and research is imperfect.One set of ‘bad' numbers is, therefore, inconclusive. † &enario No. 3: (Seeking confidential information) During a social meeting, one ad account executive craftily encouraged another obviously inebriated ad executive who handled the account for a competing brand to divulge confidential business information. Sixty-three percent said that the ad account executive was wrong. Eighteen percent said that he should be fired, and 40% that they would do just what he did, while 47% said that most ad execs would do what the executive did. Sixty-seven percent said the ad agency should address the situation through policy-making.Among all four scenarios, scenario No. 3 had the second-highest disapproval rate among respondents. One respondent made a blunt, succinct comment: â€Å"A definite breach of professional ethics. † Another: â€Å"This is unacceptable as well as u nethical behavior. Once the account exec had identified himself, Pete should have identified himself as well. Pete should be reprimanded for his actions, maybe even fired if it appears as if this same scenario would continue in the future. † Another: â€Å"It was wrong not to identify himself. † Yet another: â€Å"Pete's taking advantage of his ‘counterpart' was opportunistic and immoral. A respondent who saw nothing devious here argued: â€Å"It is a very competitive market. Taking advantage of the competition's weakness or stupidity is a must. † Another argument: â€Å"Corporate espionage is no more or less right or wrong than is political espionage. † †¢ †¢ Comparison of means Scenario No. 4: (Using outdated data) In an agency's report to a client, a female ad executive used outdated data that were favorable to both her ad agency and client, while ignoring new, unfavorable information. Eighty-two percent – the highest among all s cenarios for statement No. – said that the female ad executive was wrong, 46% said that she should be fired, 11% that they would do just what she did, while 36% said that most ad execs would do what she Two analytical procedures were used to compute and compare responses to all four scenarios. First, the percentage response to each statement was computed for comparison of the directions of response patterns. Second, item-by-item statistical differences between 36 possible pairs of responses across all four scenarios were determined. Schefft's (1953) multiplecomparisons were used to determine such differences (Table III).Twenty-five of those 36 pairs and four of the six variable pairs of grand means were significantly different (p ;lt; 0. 05, at least) from each other, indicating respondents' differentiation of their evaluation of the scenarios. Thus, this result indicates Advertising and Classical Ethical Theory TABLE III Comparison of means, grand means (and standard deviati ons') for four scenarios on advertising ethics Scenario One 2. 3; (1. 18) 3. [email  protected] (0. 811) 2. 0P (0. 982) 2. 62~ (0. 939) 2. 99~ Scenario Two 2. 29~ (1. 05) 3. 4Y (0. 807) 2. 48b (1. 03) 3. 00b (0. 825) 3. 23b Scenario Three 2. 1; (1. 14) 3. 35~ (0. 852) 2. 0P (0. 61) 2. 43~ (0. 856) 3. 28b 463 Statement 1. What X did was wrong. 2. X should be fired. 3. I would do just what X did. 4. Most ad execs would do just what X did. 5. My firm/dept, has a policy, either written or oral, on situation or practice. 6. Regardless of my response to No. 5, it is a good idea for my firm/dept, to have a policy, either written or oral, on situation or practice. Grand Mean Scenario Four 1. 62b (0. 993) 2. 68b (1. 07) 1. 5V (0. 742) 2. 26d (0. 910) 2. 84~ (t. I 5) (1. 05) (0. 9! 7) (1. 12) 1. 68~ (0. 918) 2,63~ (0. 406) 2. 04b (1. 05) 2. 58~,b (0. 362) 2. 12b (1. 01) 2. 74c (0. 378) 1. 77~ (0. 39) 2. 52b (0. 401) ~,b. ~ Means with different superscripts on the same row are significantlyà ¢â‚¬  different, by ScheffS's repeated-measures design. Note: Means are on a four-point scale, with 1 for â€Å"definitely yes† and 4 for â€Å"definitely no. † Statements 3 and 4 were reverse-coded as t for â€Å"definitely no† and 4 for â€Å"definitely yes. † A lower mean score, therefore, indicated higher self-reported ethical standards. that the sample practidoners' perceptions of ethics vary significantly by the type o f ethical issue confronted, suggesting perceived differences in the intensity of the application of deontology to the scenarios.Fritzsche (1988) and Fritzsche and Becker (1984) reported similar differences across vignettes, and concluded that marketing managers practiced situational ethics. For three of the four scenarios, respondents tended to agree with the statement that the advertising staff involved in the conduct identified in each of the scenarios took the wrong action. However, they tended not to agree that the staff should b e fired. It was only in scenario No. 4 (using outdated data) that members tended to perceive the conduct as wrong; even so, the mean response to the statement that the staff â€Å"should be fired† was 2. 8, which was significantly different (p < 0. 001) from re- spondents' positions on the firing of the three other practitioners in the other three scenarios. Contextual response An overall evaluation of the respondents' evaluation of the wrongness or rightness of a conduct – the essence of Kantian ethics – indicates that the sample AAF members leave little doubt about their positions on the scenarios outlined in the questionnaire. However, when the evaluations of the statements, taken together, are considered within the context o f classical ethical theory, the members' ethics leaves much to be desired.Four questionnaire statements (items 1, 2, 3 and 6 of Tables II and III) were used as direct measures of deontology: â€Å"was wrong,† â€Å"should be f ired,† â€Å"I would 464 C. B. Pratt and E. L. James do,† and â€Å"regardless of my response. † It must be noted here that, even though deontology does not address explicitly the severity of the punishment for an ethical infraction, the theory is not neutral on punishment. Justice is one of the moral values that deontology considers – even though not always explicitly. In mixed-rule and mixed-act deontology, the consequences of one's actions are considered.In essence, there is a built-in role for consequences. This was why Kant, admittedly vague in some areas, invented moral rules in the first place. Responses to the four deontology-related statements provide four indications of the extent of practitioners' adherence to Kantian ethics. First, the respective percentages (28. 7%, 28%, 40% and 65%) of respondents who reported that the actions of the practitioners cited in the four scenarios were definitely wrong indicate that fewer than one-half applied deon tological theory to three of the four scenarios.Second, that the practitioner should be fired, the ultimate test of ethics (Singer, 1992), had much lower, definite approval rates: 1. 7%, 1. 1%, 3. 4%, and 16. 1%. Third, the response percentages for item 3 (â€Å"I would do just†¦ â€Å") in scenarios one, two, and three indicate that a sizable number of respondents would engage in the questionable behavior outlined in the scenarios. For scenario four, however, 11% said that they would â€Å"definitely† or â€Å"maybe† engage in a behavior that 82% of them reported as wrong.Finally, on item 6, a clear majority indicated an interest in organizational response to the issue raised in each scenario. The response percentages for statements 1, 2, and 3, therefore, indicate that practitioners' evaluations are clearly at odds with tile tenets of deontology and are perhaps more in line with utilitarian and relativistic theories. A further indication of the sample practiti oners' adherence to deontology is provided by those who responded â€Å"definitely yes† or â€Å"maybe yes† to all four measures of deontology in all four scenarios.The results: 10% 10%, 16%, 32% for scenarios 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Such low percentages suggest that a majority of members wavered in applying deontology to the ethical dilemmas with which they were confronted. Bishop (1949) argues that truthtelling (addressed in scenarios 2 and 4) in advertising is â€Å"impossible and the attempt to attain it would reduce advertising to complete ineffectiveness and prevent it from fulfilling its legitimate and necessary function† (to. 88).Yet, the first of AAF's eight-principle code of ethics, albeit stated in general terms, focuses on truthtelting: â€Å"Advertising shall tell the truth, and shall reveal significant facts, the omission of which would mislead the public† (American Advertising Federation, 1984). While AAF members report that their com panies adhere to AAF principles, they report that other ad agencies tend to adhere less strictly to those principles (Chonko et al. , 1987). Adherence to the truth principle is not only evident among AAF members but it has the largest â€Å"my† versus â€Å"other† company difference ([t – 23. 2, p < 0. 01] Chonko et al. , 1987). A number of U. S. corporate executives now realize that if ethical transgressions are not sanctioned by dismissals, they could encourage all kinds of shady dealings and foster the perception that the organization is not really committed to ethics (Singer, 1992). It is plausible that a mix of utilitarian, JudeoChristian, veil-of-ignorance, and golden-mean ethics simultaneously guided the sample practitioners' evaluation of the ethical scenarios used in this stud),. However, the investigation of the application of various ethical theories to decision-making was not a purpose of this study.Empirical studies on ethics (e. g. , Ferrelt and Weaver, 1978; Fritzsche, 1988; Fritzsche and Becker, 1983; Krugman and Ferrell, 1981; Pratt, 1991; Pratt and McLaughlin, 1989) increasingly indicate that ethics among business people is frequently not perceived in absolutist terms, but in relative shades of right and wrong. Fritzsche (1991, 1988) and Jones (1991), for example, report that situational ethics is the overwhelming preference of U. S. managers. Advertising codes of ethics are usually written in precise deontological terms, for example, â€Å"must recognize,† â€Å"will not,† â€Å"shall tell the truth,† â€Å"shall refrain from. Yet, AAF members do not seem to abide by deontology even though â€Å"an enforced, effective code should provide the profession with a degree of stability and consistency in the ethical decision-making of its members† (Beets, 1991, p. 69). It is plausible that the patterns of responses in this present study suggest adherence to utilitarian ethics, which is preferred by advertising agency personnel Advertising and Classical Ethical Theory (Rotzotl and Christians, 1980; Christians et al. , 199 I). On the other hand, utilitarian ethics seeks to maximize the good for all concerned.However, the limitation of this ethical theory is inherent in how the â€Å"good† is determined. Beyond that, the interests of the minority tend to be given short shrift. What, therefore, are the chances that advertising-agency actions will result in the â€Å"greatest happiness for the greatest number†? Also, Nevett (1985) disagrees with Bishop's (1949) suggestion that the ethical standards of advertising be utilitarian because such an approach cannot â€Å"provide advertising people today with guidance on suitable ethical standards for their profession† (e. 04). Rawls (1971) criticizes utilitarianism, noting that it does not take seriously the differences among people; rather, it views as morally just that which has the sum of satisfactions (or tota l utility) for the community. As an alternative to utilitarian thought, Rawls (1971) suggests â€Å"a new moral theory† that will give adequate account to the primacy of justice, understood as the protection of the equal rights of all individuals, over the social good† (Schaefer, 1979, p. 22).To accomplish equal justice in society, therefore, everyone should assume a hypothetical â€Å"original position† – behind a â€Å"veil of ignorance† – which requires that, in evaluating situations, people step from their everyday, status-based traditional roles into an egalitarian position behind a veil. The goal is to develop a conception of justice or of the good from a disinterested, â€Å"equal† perspective. Would a recommendation that practitioners who compromise the ethical standards identified in the scenarios be fired be an illustration of such justice?And would such firing be in an organization's or in a society's best interest? Finally, it is plausible that Judeo-Christian morality – an altruistic, religion-based tradition – is also reflected in respondents' evaluations of the dilemmas in the ethical scenarios. 465 perceived as â€Å"definitely† having such policies for each of the four scenarios (and those who â€Å"definitely† think that having such policies is a good idea) are, respectively, 17. 8 (56. 3), 11. 5 (38. 5), 4. 6 (33. 3) and 15. s (50 0).The large differences between having such policies and thinking that having such policies is a good idea lends credence to the continuing public and practitioner concern over advertising ethics. For advertising agencies, such policies could result in two possibilities: (1) they may encourage agencies to also apply deontology to ethical issues, and (2) they may help agencies initiate an eclectic approach to ethical decision-making – that is, to apply ethical principles that may involve bringing all five commonly used classical theo ries to bear simultaneously on the decision-making process.These five theories, which are not mutually exclusive, fall into one of two broad categories: deontology or teleology. They are (1) Aristotle's golden mean (â€Å"moral virtue is appropriate location between two extremes†); (2) the theoretical framework for this present study, Kant's categorical imperative (â€Å"act on that maxim which you will to become a universal law†); (3) Mill's principle of utility (â€Å"seek the greatest happiness for the greatest number†); (4) Rawls's (1971) veil of ignorance (â€Å"justice emerges when negotiating without social differentiations†); and (5) Judeo-Christian persons as ends (â€Å"love they neighbor as yourself†).Aristotle's theory of the golden mean, a virtuebased ethics, strikes a moral balance between two extremes, one indicating excess, the other deficiency. The mean, in this context, is not a statistical mean but a willingness on the part of th e decision maker to exercise moderation or temperance – a virtue. Such a mean rdates to the individual's particular situation, her or his stay. is, strengths and weaknesses (Chi'istians et aI. , 1991). Utilitarian ethics, a form of teleological ethics, was enunciated by John Smart Mill as that which seeks â€Å"the greatest happiness for the greatest number. To assess the â€Å"greatest good,† a person or organization performs a cost-benefit analysis of an action or decision. If the latter would result in the good of the majority, that is, if its benefits for the â€Å"greatest number† outweigh its costs, then the act is ethically right. Rawls's (197 t) veil of ignorance, a nonconsequen- Conclusion The results presented in this study indicate a strong (perceived) reluctance on the part of the ad agencies to institute policies, either written or oral, that would proscribe unethical conduct. The percentages of respondents whose firms or departments are 466C. B. P ratt and E. L. James tialist theory of justice, governs the assignment of rights and duties and regulates the distribution of social and economic advantages. People, Rawts (197I) argued, â€Å"have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others† (Rawls, 1971, p. 60). Finally, Judeo-Christian morality is an altruistic tradition that is being popularized in the West as â€Å"the more dramauc term agape – unselfish, otherregarding care and other-directed love, distinct from friendship, charity, benevolence, and other weaker notions† (Christians et al. 1991, p. 20). The interpretation of the results of this present study within the context of Kantian ethics suggests that deontology is clearly not the preference of the sample practitioners. The de-emphasis of deontological ethics among practitioners is likely to engender a laissez faire approach to ethical issues. Dubinsky et al. (1991) suggest a reason for this phenom enon from an overall business perspective: â€Å"Many of the situations business people confront are in a ‘gray' area where the delineation between the right versus the wrong action is not clear† (p. 52). On the other hand, strict deontologicaI ethics could encourage advertising practitioners to understand the precise boundaries of ethical and unethical conduct, as has been found among salespeople (Michaels et at. , 1988). It has been reported that managers who apply deontological ethics under uncertain conditions are least likely to change their decisions even when they perceive the risk of their decisions; those who apply utilitarian ethics are more likely to change their decisions to satisfy financial and/or self-esteem goals (Fraedrich and Ferrell, 1992).And herein lies a crucial value of deontological ethics to advertising: more likely, it will encourage advertisers to adhere to the precepts of ethics, setting aside personal financial and social rewards for the pub lic good. At least 67% of the respondents in the present study suggested that their organizations establish policies on questionable conduct (item 6). Why did such a majority suggest such boundaries on behavior? Why would they prefer that formal company policies restrict questionable behaviors?It is plausible that the sample practitioners place much value on formal policies because of the perceived importance of affirmation on what they consider ethical or unethical. Further, such a formal process may indicate more than a perfunctory commitment of their organizations to ethics. This possibility suggests two key questions on the implications of the results of the present study for policy-making: (1) Where lies the responsibility for shaping advertising agency ethics? (2) And what relevant does deontology have for the training of advertising staffs?In a speech given two dozen years ago by Bill Marsteller, founder of the advertising agency, Marsteller Inc. (a forerunner of Burson-Marst eller, the world's third-largest public relations agency), he said: â€Å"It is not enough [for the advertising student] to simply attain general standards of morality and taste; it is important to be subjected to the deliberate considerations of advertising morality and taste†¦ † (Marsteller, 1972, p. 241). Marsteller sees education in advertising ethics as important as that for the production of creative, charming advertising.Just as the effectiveness of training sessions has been called into question (Feldman and Thompson, 1990; Levin, 1989), their impact has also been demonstrated (e. g. , Feldman and Thompson, 1990; Hanson, 1987; Harris and Guffey, 1991). On balance, however, it behooves ad clubs and various advertising associations to establish programs that, at the minimum, sensitize practitioners to some of the social and professional sequelae of their ethics-related decisions. The results of this limited study justify the adoption of such measures.Caveats Two li mitations of this stud), should be outlined. The first is the old issue of â€Å"self-reported† ethics. Even though measures were taken to discourage the use of socially desirable responses, that possibility cannot be ignored because perceptual distoruon is higher when the dependent variable is as highly sensitive as the subject of ethics (Hunt et al. , 1989; Randall and Fernandes, 1991). The second is the representativeness of the sample, which was drawn from 25 states, for the 50,000member AAF.Because the sample was not randomly selected, it is important that this present study be replicated on a larger, more geographically diverse sample to determine the extent to which its results are consistent with those of such a nationwide study. Advertising and Classical Ethical Theory