Casino and American Gaming Association

Gambling is the betting of money on a random outcome. It includes bingo, lotteries, some card games, slot machines and of course many other games that are played in casinos. It is what people consider a personal choice and a form of entertainment. People should not be denied an activity that they enjoy, legalizing gambling would bypass that statement; as for the regulating, addition to the age restriction, government should prevent fraudulent acts from taking place and protect the players. Gambling can create jobs and help the country’s economy; however, the economic benefits are exaggerated and jobs created are usually low paid. It creates jobs in casinos such as security guards and dealers. The jobs are not only in casinos, there are also in hotels and many tourist locations. Gambling is also often used to raise money for the states and good causes by taxing the winnings. However, George Molyneaux, coach of the Scotland schools debating team stated, â€Å"The economic benefits of gambling are exaggerated. They generally created low paid jobs for local people and it is immoral for the states to raise money by exploring stupidity and greed†. This states that jobs created by casinos and gambling are low paid and do not do any good. This statement is not true because casinos actually helped to regenerate places with unemployment, such as Atlantic City in New Jersey. According to American Gaming Association â€Å"In 2002, the commercial casino industry provided more than 350000 jobs in the United States, with wages and benefits totaling $ 11 billion. An estimated 400000 additional jobs are supported by casino industry spending†. In one year that is a lot of employment. And the paychecks aren’t that low. That is more than an elementary school teacher income which is $24,030. â€Å"In 2004, the median earnings of a casino security guard were $24,510† (collegegrad. com). Thus, really gambling helps more that it damages. Gambling is an entertainment, it is a leisure pursuit that people enjoy, but some time it can be addicting resulting in a loss of money. Gamblers know that they are likely to lose money. They still gamble because it is enjoyable. They even get excited about a possibility that they might win, even if they lose they enjoy the experience. However, George Molyneaux claims â€Å"Gambling is addictive; many people start gambling without thinking. Once they get addicted, it is too lateâ€Å". True, gambling can be addictive but adults can control themselves. After all the limiting age is 21, meaning when 21, one is considered an adult and is capable of making comprehensive and conscious choices. According to USplayers. com â€Å"Unlike Drugs, gambling is not physically addictive, it is only psychologically addictive. Treatment programs can address those who are addicted†. People are well aware of the risks of addiction and gambling and should be able to choose how to spend their money. Legalizing gambling would let people to do what they enjoy more freely and in more places. Spending 20 dollars on a 2 hours movie has the same amount of pleasures as betting 20 dollars gambling for 2 hours. One could at least win some money back in gambling. The point is that people enjoy gambling and should not be stopped from doing so, when it actually has benefits. Bottom line, legalization and regulation of gambling are beneficial to both parties: government and the gambler.Work Cited http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/servi24.shtml http://www.usaplayers.com/gambling/questions/why-online-gambling-should-be-legal-in-usa.html

Listening Piece Commentary, English Language and Literature Essay

My listening audience piece was inspired by the old man in Poe’s Tell Tale Heart, thought evil by the protagonist, but given no voice to express himself. My protagonist is an elderly character with a dark side, similar to Angela Carter’s in The Werewolf. To subtly reveal this hidden personality I adopted the style of Alan Bennett’s monologue Playing Sandwiches where he gradually builds suspicion of the speaker, ultimately revealing the horrible truth. I created a radio monologue told from the viewpoint of an elderly lady, intended to make the listeners think about the secrets that lie hidden behind closed doors in regular people’s lives, typical of the Gothic. The exposition of my piece introduces the lady as a kind soul: ‘I’m sorry; Miss Hawking doesn’t live here anymore’. I used apologetic politeness ‘I’m sorry’ to encourage listeners to like the character. The nonstandard auxiliary verb ‘was’ m akes her speech sound natural ‘Had herself a nice feller too; they was having a baby together’, as does the colloquial lexis ‘feller’. The visitor is a dramatic device to allow the lady to speak her thoughts. When she talks of romance, the protagonist’s language is more like a written story than spontaneous speech, ‘Then he held her that night, under the moon, with the stars all shinin’ from above.’ She uses discourse markers, lexis like a romance novel, and conventional romantic imagery of the moon and stars, suggesting that she has played it over and over in her head. Because this is a monologue, the visitor’s presence is only implied by the protagonist’s speech. Instead of stage directions my protagonist says everything needed to imply the action ‘No, no, you needn’t take your shoes off ‘. The repetition of the negative ‘No, no’ and the lack of back-channeling begin to reveal her unusual side, sounding a bit too firm with her requests while covering it with a polite tone. Cumulative word count: 317 From here I slowly reveal her darker side making listeners question her knowledge of the couple, and her mental health: ‘the milk’s been in there a little too long I’m afraid.’ To construct her mental breakdown in the line, ‘I, I, Sorry, I don’t know what’s come over me’ I used a false start to show her nervousness and fear, and the adjective ‘sorry’ to echo her opening line. Her identity is revealed when she changes from second to first person in mid-sentence ‘She loved you †¦ and you turned me into this’. I implied that she has been tracking him since he left in a series of photographs in a locked room personifying her feelings: ‘The room won’t forget’. Her change in register, ‘She was pretty, for a whore†¦ You Bastard’ with taboo lexis unnerves the audience because it subverts expectations of how an old lady should speak. Writing this piece has crystalised the difference between spoken and written language for me; in creating it I felt the need to say it out loud to ensure the voice accurately reflected the speech of an old lady. Overall I believe I did so effectively as the register change at the end is quite striking.

Research Unilever and Proctor and Gamble Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Research Unilever and Proctor and Gamble - Essay Example The research aims to bring forth the comparison and contrast of the above principles between the two organizations, Unilever and Proctor and Gamble. Major similarities and differences would be brought forth between the two organizations on the two principles. Fayol’s 14 Principles of Management- Comparison and Contrasts between Unilever and Proctor and Gamble (P&G) Division of work Division or specialization of work is chosen as the first topic to compare between the two organizations. In Proctor and Gamble, division of labor has begun right from the beginning of the company. Since the mid 1850s the company has reinforced division of labor with the initiation of moving operations to Western Row. While Proctor handled the financials and sales, Gamble supervised the factory productions. Now it is seen that the company has four major pillars which account for the main corporate structure of the organization, namely, the global business units, market development organizations, cor porate functions and the global business services (P&G, 2011). The division of labour in Unilever can also be seen from the fact that labor is employed in such activities like food production, distribution, and marketing etc. Its labor division strategies are also seen to be aimed at increasing employment and generating job opportunities. For example, in Indonesia, while the company employs 5000 individuals, an estimate of 300,000 more jobs were supported both in the fields of production as well as distribution (Pfitzer & Krishnaswamy, 2007, p.7). Despite the fact that both organizations demonstrate division of labour as a main component of their corporate structure, however, the degree or extent of specialization and division of tasks is much more in Proctor and Gamble in comparison to Unilever. This is because it represents a highly bureaucratic structure characterized by an authority hierarchy, explicit rules, clear division of labor and impersonality (Andersen & Taylor, 2010, p. 141). On the other hand, there is less labor division in Unilever, which emphasizes more on maintaining a geographical structure where the head in each geographic region is responsible for maintaining profitability in the region while the country managers are responsible for the local sales and marketing of products. Rather it can be said that Unilever reflects both of a geographic as well as a multidivisional structure. In fact now it is even recommended that the company implements a matrix structure in order to tightly coordinate between the geographic regions and the various specializations or divisions (Hill, 2008, p.197). Centralization According to Fayol centralization is considered essential for all organizations and is said to occur as a natural consequence of the organizat

Short Academic Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Short Academic Report - Essay Example In the present case study, a food processing organisation is undergoing change. The major objective of the change is to enhance the overall efficiency level of employees working in the organisation. The report will analyse the current and anticipated problems and provide solutions for an effective change management process. Introduction The process of transforming an enterprise or a business into the next advanced phase of operation from the current functional phase is known as organization change (Harigopal, 2006). It involves various changes. These can be a change in the overall processes of the firm, company ownership, and transfer of teams and employees and modification or up gradation of the functional practices. Thus, the task of implementing change, especially in case of organizational transformation can be very difficult and cumbersome. Solutions Answer 1 In the present case, the organization is going through a change. The non-salaried employees will undergo change in order t o upgrade their skills and work knowledge. This will require exhaustive training sessions, workshops and pressure among the employees as well as employer. Naturally, there will be barriers to change. During change in a workplace, various types of barriers to change occur. Few of the barriers or obstacles at workplace change, which can occur, can be categorized into organizational and individual barriers, explained below; No involvement of company employees in workplace change management In order to successfully complete the process of workplace change, the management will have to look what employees think of the process. One of the major and serious barriers to organizational change occurs when employees are not involved in the change process. Unclear procedures and processes regarding goals Before implementation of any workplace change, the goals and objective of these changes should be clear in the mind of the top management. The procedures and processes should be clearly defined and proper documentation is required for any references in future. It has been seen that in most of the cases, the management is not aware for the exact objective of workplace change (Beer, M. and Nohria, N., 2000). Since these workplace change order comes from headquarters or another location, these are merely followed as orders without giving sufficient attention to the minute details and criticality of the process. Unclear procedures and processes can also be one of the primary barriers. Inefficient leadership strategies Ineffective and inefficient leadership is another barrier to successful workplace change. In order to manage and implement the change, effective leadership is extremely important for the company as well as its employees (Chen et al., 2013). In the present case it was found out that there was resistance to change even from few of the managers and executives. This has occurred as many of the managers thought that employees undergoing training and development progra ms might take up their positions in future. Increase in competition and loss of power and authority were other reasons expected to increase resistance among managers. Ineffective employee communication Any kind of workplace change should be properly communicated with the employees. Advance notification of workplace change helps the employees to make up their mind and be more acceptable to change. Ineffective

Consumers goods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Consumers goods - Essay Example Based on the Annual Report of GKN (2005) the company is using the Option Pricing Model as its model in calculating the target price. First, it was reported that the Earnings per Share (EPS) was computed at 7.7 in 2005. The EPS is actually the net profit after tax divided by the outstanding shares of the company On the other hand, adjustments made in the financial report showed substantial reports. The value of EPS was subsequently changed to 22.1 after the adjustments were made. This is good news for the investors because the each share earned an additional 14.4 Sterling Pounds. According to the report, the change was made because of the impact of the restructuring and impairment charges, profits on the sale of business, and charges in the fair value of derivative financial instruments. The nature of the business suggests that the Discounted Cash Flow Model is the best model to be used in determining target prices.Premier Foods PLC uses Discounted Cash Flow as the model for computing target prices. Basically, all forecasted values provided by the firm emanate from the aforementioned model. In 2005, the actual EPS of the company is valued at 34. This is further divided into continuing and discontinuing EPS. The former accumulated an EPS of 15 and the latter contributed 19 earnings for share. The figures, however, were changed because of IFRS rules. The EPS of the company was reduced to 33.7 with the continuing and discontinuing registering 14.9 and 18.8 EPS respectively. ... Several changes were observed in the manner in which non-operating activities were reported. The decrease was made since most non-operating activities were excluded from the computation of the items needed to value the EPS of the company. Other changes in the business because of the IFRS have impacted the valuation of several elements. Still, the model used by the company is effective because Discounted Cash Flow value considers the effect of inflation in the computation of the future values in the financial statement. Using the Option Pricing Model is prevalent among firms with diverse operations. The target prices computations of Scottish and Newcastle PLC suggest that the Option Pricing Model was used. The Annual Report (2005) of the company has underlined several changes after the IFRS rules were mandated. Specifically, the effects of the changed were observed in the inclusion of cash and cash equivalents. In the EPS, the use of IFRS as guide for accounting has produced significant changes. Before the approval of IFRS use, the EPS was only 40. Using the guidelines provided by IFRS, the EPS of the firm ballooned to 200. Although other adjustments not related to IFRS were made, the value added after the use of IFRS was immense. Indeed, there is a possibility that the values were overstated. Hence, using the Discounted Cash Flow Model will provide an accurate view of target prices in the future operations. The group Annual Report (2005) of British American Tobacco has pointed that the model used for valuation of target prices is the Historical Cost convention. This supports the claim of financial analysts of the effect of inflation rates in the values reflected in the financial statements. According to the report, the company recorded an EPS of

Importance Of The Studying English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Importance Of The Studying English - Essay Example This essay will continue to explain the value and excellence that I as an individual have achieved in my quest to improve at a language, that is not my own. To begin with, all my courses have been in the English language. This has ensured that my command of the language is excellent enough for me to comprehend and grasp the meaning behind what I am studying. This is evident in the various essays I have written in and out of class. The first and second in-class essays required an opinion on conflicts affecting the world and its participation today coupled with the role played by politicians and their personal lives. It is immensely difficult for a student with a sparse knowledge of the English language to write an essay portraying their opinion. Yet, I was able to do so without any hesitance or problems. The problem, that arises for any foreign student is their means of translating their native tongue into the English language while thinking of an argument to write in the essay. Howev er, I did not feel compelled to think in my native tongue. Instead I chose to write all my drafts in English before perfecting it for the final draft. While this may seem like a small feat to those honed for English writing, it is a great accomplishment for an individual like me. Other examples that prove my fluency in English are the out of class essays that had to be submitted for this course.

Interview Process for Movie Theater General Manager Assignment

Interview Process for Movie Theater General Manager - Assignment Example The general manager will be mainly involved in overseeing administrative areas such as staffing, customer service, and daily operations (Suttle, 2013). The general manager will display team work while ensuring superior customer experience and encouraging profitability of the theatre. A structured interview will be conducted in order to assess and evaluate the compatibility of a candidate. The interview will have behavioral structured questions that will aim to assess the knowledge and skills of a particular candidate to test his or her compatibility with the roles and responsibilities required by the position. In addition the structured interview will focus on evaluating the behavioral aspect of a candidate’s personality beyond eligibility. This will enable the identification of a candidate that is fit for the position. The structured interview will be used to assess an individual’s candidacy by keeping the job requirements as a standard. As such it will be designed such that the questions will relate to specific job requirements. The questions will also allow deeper behavioral aspects of a candidate to surface in different mock situations required as part of a general manager at a theatre. The job analysis will be an underlying factor shaping the interview questions. More specifically the interview questions will be structured and inquire about an individual’s background in arts, theatre, and business. It will also aim to test the knowledge of an individual in key business concepts such as cash budgeting, forecasting, etcetera, where the candidate will have to demonstrate his or her knowledge and skills. Additionally, some scenario-based questions will be asked that assess the candidate’s behavior and actions given particular hypothetical questions (Bell, 1999; Arizona Human R esources, 2013). Past experience will also be asked to be described and/or demonstrated through specific examples. The recruitment will be conducted

Communication at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Communication at work - Essay Example These two cultures are distinct not only in terms of norms and values but also differ with respect to how people behave and interact with each other. In today’s increasingly globalised world people from different cultural backgrounds are required to work together and have consensus on critical issues. Effective communication becomes very important in the context of such working relationships. It is therefore of particular significance to examine the influence of culture on the communication styles adopted by individuals as well its impact on people’s personal relationships. This paper illuminates the ways through which salient cultural characteristics influence an individual or whole society’s communication styles. It categorises the differences in cultures with respect to individualistic and collectivistic approaches as well as high and low context of communication. It basically aims to illustrate that culture plays a very important role in determining the way people communicate and interact with each other. Culture plays an important role in determining the specific traits and characteristics of individuals belonging to a group that are distinct from other groups of people. People tend to identify themselves with respect to cultural groups and take pride in associating with them. Hofstede defines culture as, â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another† (51). People in a separate group share similar characteristics that are identifiable with the help of visible traits and qualities. Drake delineates that, â€Å"culture describes a group’s relatively homogenous evaluations of multiple, interrelated phenomena† (320). These homogenous cultural traits develop into certain social norms and values that have a significant impact on how people think, feel, observe

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Assignment Example The mashup software made this map so interactive that it enabled guests to reserve or to get confirmation of the reservation or to make any query by just clicking an event on the map. Mashup even enabled the guests to receive photos of hosts and the house. Wiki was used to manage the customer relations. Information regarding location and contact were there on wiki for each volunteer. There were wine-related cartoons, advertisements on wiki. Even an interactive location map was integrated with wiki so that guests can make their reservation and get other information. Web 2.0 technologies have redefined the World Wide Web communication by permitting users to comment on a blog or create content (Gonzalez, April 6 2008). This has enhanced the quality of interaction. Stormhoek used blogs to find out the hosts and guests for 100 wine tasting events which would increase their sales. This increase in sale was due to the proper use of blog which was created and operated with the help of web 2.0 technologies. Blog spam refers to random comments posted automatically by the marketers for the purpose for promotions. It is a problem because it is an illegal use of somebody else’s blog to get more clicks. Blog spam gets the traffic away from the original blog to the visitor’s blog (Hill, 2006). Wackà ¥, F. June 18 2004, Corporate Blog – A Short definition, Your Guide to Corporate Blogging, Retrieved from http://www.corporateblogging.info/2004/06/corporate-blog-short-definition.asp (November 7,

Issues Faced by Operations Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Issues Faced by Operations Managers - Essay Example Shortage of funds in financial market can create a problem for managers because supply of money in company leads to different financial activities. Continuous supply is very important for any company to operate. Managers also need to know that what their competitors are doing in the industry. They can't ignore competition around them in this dynamic world. Managers need to be informed that what they are doing in terms of Product development, Pricing, Marketing strategies and many more things. Any type of activity that the competitors do can create lots of problem for the managers. Every organization has an aim to be Global. Managers need to face many difficult situations when they are in foreign countries. They need to tackle certain factors for success when they are abroad. That includes Legal/Political Environment, Economic Environment and Cultural Environment. While going Global managers need to understand the Political and Legal uncertainties in the country they are doing their business. They should be aware of the Specific Legal laws of that country because if they don't know the Legal procedures of that country it can create many problems for them. Many countries have a history of unstable governments therefore managers face dramatically greater uncertainty as a result of political instability. For example the goal of one government is to nationalize the important sectors of the country where as the goal of the other government is to have free enterprises to promote free market economy. Economic environment can also affect manager's decision. The three most important factors in affecting manager decision are Fluctuating currency exchange rates, Inflation Rate and Tax policies. If the country has a high inflation rate in which they are operating can result in high productivity cost which can ultimately decrease their profits. Tax policies are the most concerning for managers. If tax policies are restrictive managers can face challenging situations. Managers need exact information of tax rules so that they can overcome with all the tax obligations.Managers also need to understand the culture of the country in which they are operating. Different countries have different cultures and managers must know they difference of each culture. This is very important factor for managers to take care of, because if they fail to understand the cultural values of that country they can't serve their products and services to the people of that country. For example if a company who is manufacturing Alcohol and is operating in USA and then they open a branch of their company in Saudia Arabia, But as Saudia Arabia is an Islamic State they can't sell the Alcohol in that country because they cultural and religious values doesn't allow them to drink, that can create huge problem for the managers of that company. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Today's organizations are moving towards social responsibility. Managers have to be careful while going for socially responsible because being socially responsi

Widescreen Edition Essay Example for Free

Widescreen Edition Essay My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next. These stirring words by General Maximus epitomizes the vengeful nature of Ridley Scotts Gladiator. A true revenge movie for the ages, it uses todays computer-generated imagery influenced with Hollywood yesteryears sword-and-sandal epics to produce a stunning and spectacular saga. Russell Crowe plays Maximus, a faithful and successful Roman General in the service of Marcus Aurelius (aptly played by the late Richard Harris). His loyal and selfless servitude is rewarded by the Emperor with a pledge of being leader in his place when he dies, until Rome again becomes a republic. This pledge is betrayed by the Emperors son, Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix), who murders his own father and usurps the throne. Aware of the promise made to Maximus, Commodus orders Maximus execution and has his lands taken, his title stripped, and his family murdered. Maximus narrowly escapes his pursuers, is left for dead and sold to slavery. In North Africa, Proximo (Oliver Reed’s last, though excellent, on-screen performance) purchases the fazed former general and enlists him as a gladiator. With nothing left to live except a quest for vengeance, Maximus ferociously fights in arenas, winning all his battles and eventually working his way to the Coliseum in Rome, where he plots to have his revenge. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Its epic scope (set in 150 A. D. ), savage battle scenes, rousing soundtrack and superb performances by the cast were well-received in the global box-office, raking in almost half a billion U. S. Dollars. Its influence is felt with the revival of the historical epic in Hollywood, with subsequent releases of Troy, Alexander, 300 and Ridley Scott’s own Kingdom of Heaven. Given the superlative success that the film had, it is quite surprising to discover that the film encountered numerous hiccups during production. For instance, the script had to be rewritten numerous times and the plotline needed several revisions. There was even talk of Russell Crowe, the actor playing the star role, walking out of the set when not getting what he wanted. There is also the tragic death of Oliver Reed during filming which editors had to fix in post-production using clever computer superimposing and body-doubles. Nevertheless, the film delivers a heroic display worthy of past Hollywood greats such as Spartacus and The 300 Spartans. Critics complain of the lack of depth in the characters as the main protagonists often deliver scenes of depression and moroseness. Others counter that a hero is supposed to undergo such catharses in order to contrast it with developments later on in the movie, of which this writer agrees. The set, albeit designed and executed using sophisticated computer imagery, was not in any way intrusive to the story being told. In fact, the background was more than sufficient in suspending disbelief and even adds to the fervor with its monstrous crowds and impressive panorama. There were those who questioned the brutal blood and gore displayed in the battle scenes and the arenas as being over-the-top and bordering on gratuity. They however fail to mention that, unlike the famous Hollywood yarns of the past, today’s sagas are more compelling due to the realism employed. It is impossible for you to realize the barbarity and desperation of gladiatorial combat if the setting omits the consequences of blood and gore that face those in defeat. All in all, Gladiator attains the rank of immortality to the movie-going public due to its enlivening account of the vindication of a judicious and honorable man wronged by the greedy ambitions of a damnable nemesis. Its distinctive gift to its watchers of being able to â€Å"reach back to hallowed antiquity† and see the triumph and spectacle of a worthy warrior win his quest is deserving of all the accolades given to it. For, if such a spectacular and gripping show as Gladiator is, if it still fails to grip the viewer into vicarious entertainment, there may be a need to ask â€Å"Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here? † Works Cited 1. Gladiator: Widescreen Edition. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed and Richard Harris. 2000. Universal Studios, 2003.

Company - BlackBerry mobiles Essay Example for Free

Company BlackBerry mobiles Essay BCG matrix is a portfolio planning model, which is used to determine position of the product in the product portfolio of the company. Under this model, company divides its business units into four categories on the basis of combinations of market growth and market share comparative to the leading opponent. This model helps the management to analyze the future growth of different business units. We can take the example of BlackBerry mobiles. It is the Canadian telecommunication and wireless equipment company best known to the general public as the developer of the BlackBerry brand of smart phones and tablets. At one point of time, BlackBerry mobiles were considered as best mobiles in the market. They use to give direct competition to the Nokia and apple mobile phones. In 2011, the market share of the BlackBerry mobiles was 14.3%. But, over the last few years, company market share has declined to 0.6%. In BCG Matrix, we can place the BlackBerry mobiles into question mark category. We have placed the BlackBerry mobiles into question mark category because the market of mobile is increasing with the rate of around 40% but the market share of the BlackBerry mobiles is deceasing every year. Apart from BlackBerry, all other major mobile phone companies such as Samsung, Apple, Huawei, and Lenovo are growing with good pace. Actually, unlike other companies, BlackBerry did not focused on innovation. It was the last major mobile manufacturing company, which introduced the smart phone. They do not able to match the expectations and needs of the people, due to which company lost its market share into the hands of other mobile manufacturing companies. References http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/matrix/bcg/ http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2665715 http://bgr.com/2014/02/12/blackberry-market-share-q4-2013/ http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-28/blackberry-market-share-to-fall-to-0-3-in-2018-idc-says.html

Business Ethics Case Study: Primark

Business Ethics Case Study: Primark This assignment will review the literature on Business Ethics within the context of a particular organisation PRIMARK. To enhance our understanding of the concepts of values and morals our study defines and evaluates ethics in a business context; simultaneously throwing light on issues such as disposable fashion and ethical sourcing. 1. INTRODUCTION Primark, the cult value fashion brand owned by Associated British Foods (ABF) is the largest clothing retailer in UK by volume with a whooping 207 stores spanning across Europe. Mr. Arthur Ryan, founder and chairman has been credited of bringing affordable fashion to the high street and is also credited for nurturing Primark into an astounding success story. Starting from the first store in Ireland in 1969 till the 207th store in 2010, this brand has experienced phenomenal growth. Primark picked up the Multi Market Retailer of the year 2010 award at the Oracle world retail awards ceremony. Market Share 18.2% (http://www.primark.co.uk/page.aspx?pointerid=eb44df4565934edca627dac6ec12145a) 2. LITERATURE REVIEW Business Ethics Barry (1979) defines Ethics as studying what constitutes good and bad human conduct, including related actions and values. According to Velasquez (2010), the prime focus of business ethics lay on morals and values with respect to company policies, decisions and framework. He categorizes business ethics by: social issues, company issues and individual issues. From the National Business Ethics Survey (NBES), Verschoor cited that companies today are increasingly giving importance to ethical behavior and social responsibility. Also, more unethical practices are getting exposed rather than unethical behavior committed. Hence, it confirms evidence of the fact that companies are taking this issue seriously in order to not jeopardize their global brand and image. At this juncture, one should think about why should companies engage in ethical business practices? Is it simply to abide by the law, as it is the right thing to do or because it benefits them to do so? This may seem as a moral dilemma in several ways since it is the central issue in business ethics. (Fisher and Lovell, 2009) An increasing number of consumers make their purchase decisions based on ethical values of a company. Hence, it is crucial to make consumers aware of the ethical issues in trade and to understand what would prompt them to modify their consumption patterns. Marketing strategies can then be developed based on this understanding. (http://www.nri.org/publications/policyseries/PolicySeriesNo12.pdf) Ethical Consumerism Ethical Consumerism is an emerging process that emphasizes on socially responsible trade activities. It is just as much about supporting the good companies and products, as it is about withdrawing support from the bad ones. An ethical consumer will help in providing information one needs to make an informed decision about a purchase. (http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ShoppingEthically/WhyBuyEthically.aspx) (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1690945) Positive ethical purchase behavior, takes into account the trends that comprise attempts to purchase ethical products. For example, use of Fair-trade or Organic products. Negative ethical purchase behavior or boycott, has been regarded as the key form of ethical consumerism. It means avoiding products that are unethical. Therefore, an informed consumer would only choose products that reflect moral responsibility. For instance, in 1997 MORI survey for CAFOD on purchasing products from developing countries, there was particularly high support for a minimum agreed standard of labor conditions for workers in developing countries; 92% of the sample thought that this should apply to UK companies. (http://www.nri.org/publications/policyseries/PolicySeriesNo12.pdf) Ethical Sourcing Ethical sourcing simply put is the moral standards put forward by companies, which source their goods from other third party vendors. These standards have been set up to allow companies to ensure that the work they have contracted out to third party firms, have been conducted in an ethical manner. A critical analysis of the levels of ethical standards would lead one to an understanding that the highest level of ethical compliance lies in ethical sourcing. This is because nearly all other ethical standards are internal standards falling within the control of an organization and its framework, whereas ethical sourcing would deal with the (outsourced) production outside the purview of the organization. In essence, to be a supplier for an organization that has ethical sourcing guidelines, the supplier must also be an ethical organization. However, this is an ethical standard that is predominantly seen in companies in developed countries that contract their work to companies located in de veloping countries. Ethical Sourcing in the society is not well regulated although there are rules and statutes in place. In the UK, the Combined Code on corporate governance does not deem it essential for companies to adhere to certain policies. Companies can get away with simply explaining why they have not complied with specific provisions in their annual report. This again is only a regulatory mechanism that is in place for public limited companies, which are listed on the stock exchange (Preuss, 2009). Both these mechanisms were set up to pacify the public and various industry players, as neither of these acts have actual policing power. Most companies Ethical Sourcing guide is a copy from governing bodies Statute on Ethical Sourcing. The governing body in the United Kingdom is the ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative) (Preuss, 2009). The ETI is essentially a consortium of companies, trade unions and industry players who work together for the upliftment of the workers who make various consumer goods. Most companies take the statute from the ETI and plug in their own inputs or areas of concern. According to Preuss Ethical Sourcing includes ensuring ethical standards are followed by work contracted to outside companies from an environmental, economic and social standpoint. However one must realize that these are determined by the individual companies and are tailored to suit their needs and stress is laid on areas of concern to the company putting forth these standards. This leads ethical sourcing standards to be very industry and firm specific. According to Preuss, the key areas of concern, in order of importance, across industries are as follows: a) Employment Issues Compliance with Local Laws Safe working environment No Child Labor Non- Excessive working hours Avoiding Illegal Immigrants b) Environmental Issues Commitment to Environmental Protection Compliance to local laws Minimization of Waste Control of Emission/ Pollution Use of Environmentally friendly Technologies c) Economic Issues Confidentiality of Supplier Issues Prompt Payment Reciprocal Business Relationship not required Support for Smaller and Local Suppliers Recognizing Risk of Dependant Suppliers Acknowledge Hardship where Relationship ended (Preuss, 2009) 3. ANALYSIS The world we live in has moved into a new stage of mass consumerism, where no matter how much we have is never enough. As a result, our lives have become more materialistic. This shift has been extremely beneficial to large corporations, who have recognised and exploited the potential of the markets. This holds true for several industries especially the retail and fashion industry. Disposable fashion or Fast fashion is the new trend, which has been catching on among clothing giants like HM, Forever21, New Look and Primark. It refers to the practice of producing cheaper imitations of the latest fashion trends that are mass-produced quickly at comparatively low costs. This makes fashion more accessible to a larger segment of the population. It may be considered a boon by millions of avid shoppers but it also has considerable drawbacks. First, it possess a serious threat to Fashion designers whose work has been replicated. Further, the ways in which these garments and accessories are being produced also have serious environmental consequences. Lastly, the business models that make the retail giants everyday low prices possible rely on subsidies from millions of people around the globe (Cashing In: Clean Clothes Campaign, 2009). Millions of workers in the fashion industry have become little more than slaves, stated Neil Kearney (2007), General Secretary of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers ´ Federation (ITGLWF). Poor working conditions and terms of employment, along with low wages are common problems that occur across garment-manufacturing factories. Workers in countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China have a large population that lives below the poverty line, providing extremely cheap labour for companies worldwide. This already oppressed section of society is further exploited to meet the needs of large corporations globally. Workers in garment manufacturing factories are often robbed of their basic rights. A woman at a Walmart and Carrefour supplier in Bangladesh reportedly said, I feel so sick and tired after a days work that I do not want to work the next day. But hunger does not allow thinking of sickness; the thought of living with an empty stomach makes everyth ing else forgotten. We work to save ourselves from hunger. (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2009). Unfortunately, the impact on these factory workers is not equally spread. It is the women and children who suffer the most. A recent survey in India suggests that a quarter of all garment factories are employing under-age labour. Most of the production is for export to Europe (Neil Kearney, 2007). The scandalous truth is that the majority of workers in the global fashion industry rarely earn more than two dollars a day, in an industry worth over  £36 billion a year in the UK alone(Lets Clean Up Fashion, 2009). Workers wages are often much lower than the cost of living in their respective countries. Labourers work for over 80 hours a week at 5pence an hour and are often not paid for the additional hours of work they put in. A woman at a Tesco Supplier was documented saying, We do a lot of overtime. Almost every day there is at least one hour extra. We are called on Sundays as well. However, our monthly wage slip will not show all the overtime that we do. It will quote only 1-2 hours as overtime in a month (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2009). Garment workers are the linchpins of an industry worth over  £36 billion annually in the UK alone (Lets Clean Up Fashion, 2008). Workers in these garment factories end up paying a high price for cheap clothes. The colossal growth of such companies is a testament to the thriving businesses that they are running. Therefore, making their responsibility towards their operations even more pertinent. Many low cost giant retailers claim that they are taking measures to ethically source their materials and ensure workers labour rights, however, this is not enough. There is an urgent need for improvements in the corporate social responsibility system, on behalf of the garment retailers. Primark, part of ABF is the second largest clothing retailer in UK in terms of volume (Associated British Foods; Retail Segmentation, 2010). The Primark brand has made itself synonymous with affordable fashion. Its value proposition is to provide low cost and highly fashionable clothing, which is targeted at lower income, fashion conscious shoppers. Keeping this in mind, it is no real mystery that Primark must keep its production and overhead costs as low as possible so as to profitably sell their cheaply priced goods. To maintain profitability and to keep their value proposition in mind, Primark had to keep the production costs low. This had been done by outsourcing work to textile factories in developing countries across Asia. Primark claims that these factories are properly vetted and audited to ensure adherence to fairly high ethical standards that are a part of their supplier contract. Here, a question arises as to how does Primark manage to provide cheap clothing? It is assumed to be the result of negotiations with their suppliers, which is something most suppliers would be willing to compromise on, just to include a brand like Primark on their client list. The onus lies on these suppliers to produce goods at extremely low costs, considering the abundant availability of cheap labour in developing countries. However, they may opt to subcontract the work or parts of it to vendors with less standardised capital equipment in terms of employee work force and standard of work areas just to maintain optimum profitability. These subcontractors are generally production houses that operate from basements or garages rather than an industrialised area. They simply provide a more profitable way for the contractor to get their orders completed. Surprisingly, these subcontractors are outside the purview of most audits and do not form a part of the regulated market. This allows them to operate, abusing many laws and flouting most rules prescribed by the government and by Primark who gives the original order for production. They ensure that the goods are sent to the factories and no outsiders get to see their production facilities where they employee ch ildren, pay low wages and provide unsatisfactory working conditions. However, at the end of the day all fat cats in the supply chain are able to make their bag of money and a customer at the end of the chain is able to get a nice fashionable top to wear for under five pounds!!! The retail sales figure for the year 2009 has shown a remarkable upswing for Primark as compared to other high street clothing brands. It has emerged as one of the strongest brands during the time of recession and has been recognised as a major success story. In 2008, the big Primark expose was broadcasted on television that caused public outrage and media dismay. This also led to Primark being designated as UKs most unethical clothes shop. But the question here arises, that even after consumers being aware of the unethical practices the clothing chain has cemented its position at the top. (http://londonfashionnetwork.com/c/19/248/primark-vs-our-ethics). This is what a consumer had to say after the expose- I very much doubt it will stop me from shopping in Primark though. My budget is smaller than my conscience Sugarplumfairy 26th May 2008, 22:51 (http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=589698HYPERLINK http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=589698..) I just dont c are really -by Narrr 25th February, 2010. (http://makewealthhistory.org/2009/01/12/how-long-can-primark-get-away-with-it/) The story of rising profits continued, as seen in The Guardian (2009). The report stated that Primark was amongst the fewer retailers who were prospering in the times of recession posting 10% increase in profits. Primark, despite receiving all the bad press in the months prior to the launch of its flagship store in Oxford Street, London, was the scene of a stampede at its opening. Essentially, one can clearly reason that a normal consumer does not really care. This is cemented in black and white in their Annual report, which shows sales figure to be a staggering  £1.1bn, an increase of about 18% from the previous year. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/apr/21/primark-announces-profit-riseHYPERLINK http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/apr/21/primark-announces-profit-rise..) This perception denotes that some people think employing them is in the poor mans interest It always makes me laugh when people go on about unethical; whats more unethical giving them a job and a way of living or producing all our stuff here and letting them starve? Secondly, I cant afford  £30 for a top when I can go to Primark and get one for  £3. Thud, 25th May 2008 (http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=589698). The upward trend continued, with Primark performing spectacularly in 2010 with an increase of 35% in operating costs. Sales figures at the popular fashion chain increased by 18% to  £2.7bn. Further, an increase in operating profits to  £341mn helped by 13 new stores including its first ever in Belgium. Going by the popularity, the management will continue opening new stores all over Europe, where they expect considerable growth. (The Guardian, 2010). It has also agreed to buy 10 stores from their rival Bhs that are scheduled to open from the next fina ncial year that will add 300,000 sq. feet selling space, which points out that they are considering expansion plans. (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article7035964.ece) Following BBCs Panorama documentary, Primark conducted a private investigation, which led them to terminate contracts with three Indian suppliers. A spokesman from Primark stated, We take this lapse in standards very seriously indeed. Under no circumstances would Primark ever knowingly permit such activities, whether directly through its suppliers or through third party sub-contractors. (BBC, 2008). As a direct response to the crisis, Primark created a comprehensive website called www.ethicalprimark.com. This website contained information and videos which strengthened their positive attitude towards values and policies regarding ethical trading. It was targeted at consumers which aimed at eliminating any doubts regarding Primarks sourcing. Primark soon created a new standardised selection process for its suppliers, along with a strict Supplier Code of Conduct. They also went on to formulate a stringent auditing program to avoid such a crisis. Their code of conduct was translated into 26 different languages so that workers in factories understand their rights. In addition, Primark heavily invested in new software from BSI management systems that was designed to help Primark manage its supply chain more effectively. In 2009, Primark established a specialized Ethical Trade Program. It consisted of a Director of Ethical Trade, along with ethical trade staff who was stationed in sourcing countries. Primarks Ethical Trade Strategy aimed at implementing ethical trade policies and ensuring suppliers met the required standards. Through workshops, training and audits this committed team intended to protect the rights of workers within the supply chains. On assessing the compatibility of Primark in terms of its Marketing and Ethics (Lecture Notes) on a scale of one to ten, we would position Primark in Group B category. Based on our reading, it has been targeted victim a number of times for its indulgence in unethical practices. However, it never admitted to the onus of such activities, hence we can say they are responsible and hence, abiding by the law and not Group A. They do not have a set of core, non-financial values and principles that is regarded as one of the most important assets of a companys existence, which strikes them off Group D. Also, they are not strongly committed to being ethical; else they wouldnt have been targeted several times for their morally irresponsible activities. Hence, they do not fall within Group C. Primarks value proposition is provision of cheap clothing. To fulfill the same, they need to keep the cost of production minimal. With this in mind, the companys purpose for existence is to ensure profits f or ABF rather than being socially responsible. They do try to improve ethical standards but not at the cost of reducing their profits. Thus, we think Primark falls under Group B. All companies function differently and can classified and put in different groups based on their ethical standing. As has been shown below: Kolhbergs theory of moral reasoning (Referencing Lecture Notes and URL) Kohlberg suggested that a company progresses in their moral reasoning (i.e., in their bases for ethical behaviour) through a series of stages. He believed that there were six identifiable stages. Stage 1 Organisations behave according to socially acceptable norms and their motive is to abide by the law. Stage 2 Characterised by a view that right behavior means acting in ones self interest. Stage 3 Complying with social norms. Characterised by an attitude, which seeks to do what will gain the approval of others. Stage 4 Oriented to abiding by the law and responding to the obligations of duty. Stage 5 A genuine interest in the welfare of society and prepared to challenge the societal norms when necessary. Stage 6 Belief in universal principles. Based on respect for universal principles and the demands of individual conscience. Referring back to the initial model of categorising companies between Groups A D, we would place Primark at level 2 on the Kohlbergs model of moral reasoning. Primark, as a company is known to act for its self-interest. This level complements its characteristics of Group B. This can be supported by the fact that although Primark has been pointed fingers at several times for their indulgence in unethical practices, their responses have always been the same and nothing has practically been done about it i.e., they have taken the necessary steps to control unethical practices and would try further tighten control over suppliers. (BBC, 2008) 4. CONCLUSION It can be expected to be less about ethics and more about a promise of freedom from moral anxiety when in fact it is that anxiety that is the substance of morality. From this we understand that a company chooses to be as ethical as it really wants to be. From what we gather, Primark would like to be seen as an ethical company. After the expose, Primark made sure they improved their ethical standards as well as their suppliers standards. Primark paid for auditors to ensure the ethical standards of their suppliers, which is a sign of dedication to their ethical stance. As a group, we concluded that even though Primark was at the centre of this scandal, they have been repeatedly targeted by market speculations primarily because they are the big name at the end of the supply chain. One must acknowledge that Primark is not entirely at fault. Its suppliers sub-contracted work to other local vendors, without Primarks knowledge. These sub-contracted vendors had children working in their warehouses, which were overworked and paid sub standard wages. Primarks auditors should have been aware of this. This poses the question of who is responsible for allowi ng these ethical breaches to take place. After the expose, Primark has taken various steps to portray an ethical image and maintain a high level of ethical standards. After sacking suppliers who did not meet their standards, they invested in auditing software, and established a specialized ethical strategy.   So is Primark really at fault or is it easier to blame a giant retailer. The fact remains that Primark and its suppliers were caught again engaging in the same unethical practices, so was Primark turning a blind eye or were they unaware of the situation. The expose hit the public eye during the recession, where people were shopping on the cheap, thereby forcing them to switch to cheaper alternatives.   Does that make your everyday shopper an unethical consumer, or were these consumers forced to shop at Primark solely for economic reasons? If the former is true, Primark and its suppliers will be able to continue trading without a problem.   However, if one dwells on it and the latter is true, the time line for Panorama to have an effect on the minds of the society has faded away. Essentially, it is upto Primarks conscience whether they want to take strict action against their auditors and suppliers ensuring adherence to higher ethical standards, or will they simply portray an image of having taken action to put to rest the allegations against them.

US national security New Development Essay -- US Politics, Bush Doctri

The first period of the Bush administration revolution in concepts and ideas with us national security, had an impact in various business systems and institutions of America on national security. The US Administration has taken from the events of 11 September 2001 essential impetus to develop those concepts. One of my central points of controversy "Bush doctrine" or "Bush Principal", which was in essence the concept of "pre-emptive war". This was followed by such developments increase the relative importance of the role of the Department of Defense at the expense of the State Department, and armed force, diplomacy is reflected in the declining role icon at that stage (Colin Powell) for a Ministry of Defense (Donald Rumsfeld) and the growing influence of neocons from civilian defense vs. undue influence moderates within the State Department But the Bush Administration's first year saw a second relatively momentum in applying policies (war pre-emptive, unilateral action), which leads to the question of the continuing national security policies that characterized the first administration, and the impact of those policies on US national security concepts after second administration, and perpetuated in this context two basic views: (1) See a real change in national security policies during the second phase of the management and Administration (2) Moves pragmatically less ideologically, but that is talked about death "Bush doctrine". The second point of view either, it rejects fundamental changes, and see what is happening is slight movements and switches to file locations under the strategy, adopted in the context of a unique moment in American history and open world, a strategy, in which the heating of some files at some point, ... ... wars based; won committed long about Iraq military ability of enterprise Military moving on other fronts, and is one of the factors constraining national security policies of the Bush administration. vement, but AKP with realistic movement and began to raise demands and conditions, which could open the door to political dialogue with the movement. Another example is the United States dealing with Iran, and is treated fully recognized, and the dramatic revelations British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw recently that rice would be transferred to the Iranians in Geneva meeting in May 2005-two: I attach the United States cessation opposed Iran's accession to the WTO, and its readiness to resume the sale of aircraft parts Tehran (50). Thus, regional and international reality generates new convictions and gaps occur in gaps closed strategy launched in the first period.

Steve Jobs :: essays research papers

Steve Jobs Born 1955 Los Altos CA; Evangelic bad boy who, with Steve Wozniak, co-founded Apple Computer Corporation and became a multimillionaire before the age of 30. Subsequently started the NeXT Corporation to provide an educational system at a reasonable price, but found that software was a better seller than hardware. Steven Paul, was an orphan adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, California in February 1955. Jobs was not happy at school in Mountain View so the family moved to Los Altos, California, where Steven attended Homestead High School. His electronics teacher at Homestead High, Hohn McCollum, recalled he was "something of a loner" and "always had a different way of looking at things." Going to work for Atari after leaving Reed College, Jobs renewed his friendship with Steve Wozniak. The two designed computer games for Atari and a telephone "blue box", getting much of their impetus from the Homebrew Computer Club. Beginning work in the Job's family garage they managed to make their first "killing" when the Byte Shop in Mountain View bought their first fifty fully assembled computers. On this basis the Apple Corporation was founded, the name based on Job's favorite fruit and the logo. Steve Jobs innovative idea of a personel computer led him into revolutionizing the computer hardware and software industry. When Jobs was twenty one, he and a friend, Wozniak, built a personel computer called the Apple. The Apple changed people's idea of a computer from a gigantic and inscrutable mass of vacuum tubes only used by big business and the government to a small box used by ordinary people. No company has done more to democratize the computer and make it user- friendly than Apple Computer Inc. Jobs software development for the Macintosh re-introduced windows interface and mouse technology which set a standard for all applications interface in software. Two years after building the Apple I, Jobs introduced the Apple II. The Apple II was the best buy in personal computers for home and small business throughout the following five years. When the Macintosh was introduced in 1984, it was marketed towards medium and large businesses. The Macintosh took the first major step in adapting the personal computer to the needs of the corporate work force. Steve Jobs was considered a brilliant young man in Silicon Valley, because he saw the future demands of the computer industry. He was able to build a personal computer and market the product. His innovative ideas of user-friendly software for the Macintosh changed the design and functionality of software interfaces created for computers. The Macintosh's interface allowed people to interact