Business Ethics Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Ethics Problem - Essay Example Therefore, employees should behave professionally and ethically in all situations because ethical behavior is the key to the resolution of complex issues. Hall (2011) states, â€Å"Ethics pertain to the principles of conduct that individuals use in making choices and guiding their behaviors in situations that involve the concepts of right and wrong† (p. 112). In this paper, I will relate an example of a U.S. software company where a customer confidence problem occurred between an employee from the programming department and a customer of the company. The base of the issue was less accounting knowledge of the software developer. Description of the Company The name of the company where the ethical issue arose is SyBase. The company belongs to the Computer Software industry and deals with the development of software products and applications. The company started its operations in 1984. The company has become one of the top software companies of the United States due to the qualit y of its products and services. The Ethical Issue An ethical issue occurred in SyBase in 2004. One day, a customer came to the customer service department and made a complaint about the accounting software that the company developed for him on request. He made a claim that the application had some errors because it was not giving correct results. The software was showing incorrect results for the calculations of Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return, and some other calculations. He wanted to meet the software developer who developed that accounting software for him. When the customer services officer to whom the customer brought the issue contacted that database developer, he started making excuses and did not come to meet the customer. Upon telling the real situation to the developer, he asked the customer services officer to make the customer come after a week. The customer left the office and came again after a week to get the remodeled accounting software. When the customer services officer told the developer about the arrival of the customer, he asked him to apologize to the customer once more. The reason was that the developer was still not able to remove the errors. The customer became disappointed with the situation and asked the customer services officer to file a complaint to the manager of the programming department. When the manager investigated the issue, he came to know that the software developer was not able to fulfill the requirements of the customer due to which he was delaying the issue. The developer did not have a grip over complex accounting issues due to which he was not able to develop reliable accounting software for the customer. The ethical issue in this example was that the developer tried to hide his inability in removing the errors by delaying the issue. Individuals Involved in the Issue The individuals involved in the issue were the software developer, the manager of the programming department, and a regular customer of the company. Outcome of the Issue The issue not only decreased the customer’s confidence in the company but also resulted in putting a spot on the company’s image. The developer could have tackled the situation in a much different way. He should have made the company aware of the real situation instead of being afraid of losing his job. Recommendations for the company The manager of the

Securing our Borders Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Securing our Borders - Thesis Example borders with Mexico and Canada. Several sources indicated the need for greater border security through a wide range of technological, legislative, and military interventions (Meyers, 2003; Military Technology, 2010), as well as global agreements (Taylor, 2005). Despite the need of securing the borders, however, there are also calls for the consideration of ethical and human rights dimensions of border security (Arreolo, 2010). The U.S. government is also pressed to consider the rights of poor workers and people searching for an asylum to migrate to the U.S., where they can find shelter, freedom, and livelihood. In addition, some sources argued for the importance of understanding cultural geography, when finding and evaluating solutions to border issues (Arreolo, 2010). The borders are not seen as boundaries by illegal immigrants, but as opportunities for a new and better life (Hemphill, 2009; Huemer, 2010). This paper will explore the literature on the U.S. borders and border securit y. The research questions are: What are some of the strategies that the U.S. government should pursue to enhance border security? Should the government ensure that these interventions are humane and ethical? This paper will discuss existing border patrol strategies. It will also discuss recommended strategies that aim to enhance border security. ... Finally, it examines the ethical implications of border security measures and the need for international efforts for managing borders. The Honey of Illegal and Legal Immigrant Bees One of the primary goals of border security is to control immigration, particularly illegal immigration (Marek, 2007). The U.S. continues to symbolize the land of milk and honey for many people around the world, especially those from the Third World. An estimated 500 million people cross the U.S. borders every year, and this consists of people seeking for employment or business opportunities and refugees, as well as unfavorable border crossers, such as criminals and terrorists (Antal, 2010, p.54). The U.S. prides itself as a democratic front for human rights that include the rights to travel and immigrate to other countries. The U.S., despite immigration controls, accepts more legal immigrants as permanent residents than all other countries combined (Antal, 2010, p.54). In 2008, more than a million immigra nts became natural U.S. citizens (Antal, 2010, p.54). In 2009, the U.S. granted legal immigrant status to 1.1 million immigrants (Antal, 2010, p.54). The U.S. however, also controls the number of legal immigrants, which push some people to resort to illegal immigration methods. Illegal immigration remains as significant concern, since the U.S. cannot realistically put enough people to monitor wide borders. The U.S.-Canada border extends 5,525 miles; while the border with Mexico covers 1,989 miles long (Antal, 2010, p.54). Furthermore, the U.S. also envelops more than 95,000 miles of shoreline, thousands of airports, and 360 naval ports of entry (Antal, 2010, p.54). It is projected that almost 22,000 containers cross these naval

SARS Treatment Methods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

SARS Treatment Methods - Research Paper Example Since SARS is almost impossible to extinguish from the face of the planet Earth, the fear of this disease has existed since it first appeared among the populations in 2003, making it a powerful weapon against the fearful populations that never truly goes away. The primary source comes from the American Medical Association (AMA). AMA collects data on disease outbreaks, as well as research and activism related to health (AMAa). Its mission and guiding principles focus on the belief that a corporate association can promote ethical approaches to patients, further innovations in the field, and set standards for other physicians and medical students, among other things (AMAb). It also acts as support to physicians on legal issues by providing information on antitrust laws and physician payment filing (AMAc). The AMA website contains 64 different sources on the word â€Å"SARS† (AMAd). Resources range from definitions of the disease, to clinician infections and health system preparedness (AMAd). Information through articles is provided on international SARS outbreaks as well (AMAd). AMA provides links to other organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO). AMA also focuses on other infectious diseases. Besides SARS, AMA also provides information on â€Å"tuberculosis, influenza, viral hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, bloodborne and foodborne pathogens †¦ allergies, meningitis and many others† (AMAe). Information provided comes in form of â€Å"extensive reports, fact sheets, toolkits and links to then latest research† (AMAe). ... 2003 Detection and Responses to SARS In November 2002, SARS contagions began in Foshan City (Kaufman 53 - 54). This city is located in the South of China, where large numbers of pigs and chickens live in close proximity to humans (Kaufman 54). Thus, this area is known for virus mutations and disease outbreaks among humans (Kaufman 54). Symptoms of SARS are similar to flu. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms start with an increased bodily temperature above 38 Celsius degrees (1). Other symptoms might follow: bone ache, headache, and feeling of discomfort, diarrhea, dry cough and finally, pneumonia (CDC 1). However, China, unlike other countries, attempted to hide SARS outbreaks. As the outbreaks set in, the Chinese government covered them up, thus allowing the infected to travel abroad and infect more persons (Kaufman 54). As a result, the contagion became global, instead of being only isolated to a few areas in China. By January 2003, when autho rities were secretly notified, disease had spread across the entire region. However, the public was still kept unaware (Kaufman 54). According to Kaufman, the justification for secrecy lies in the fact that pneumonia was not required to be reported to the public (54). WHO acted a few months later. According to Bloom, one of the top WHO infectious disease specialists was infected by SARS in March of 2003 in Hanoi (701). The specialist died. Rumors spread about additional contagions in China (Bloom 701). Once WHO was alerted by a health computer logarithm, on February 11 the Chinese authorities reported the epidemic (Kaufman 55). It was in April that WHO was allowed to access the area (Kaufman

Japanese Public Broadcaster-NHK Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Japanese Public Broadcaster-NHK - Research Paper Example NHK is no different. All told, NHK has probably never been in such difficulties at any other point in its history. To begin with, it is useful to examine the recent scandal that so dented the reputation of NHK. In late 2004, NHK employed more than 10,000 people and had revenue from a viewing fee that came to almost $5 billion. But then all hell broke loose. Top executives were accused of embezzling funds, and the popular company chairman was forced to step down. NHK came under increased governmental and legal scrutiny, and competitors revved up their engines. This report neatly summarizes the situation: In Japan, the NHK viewing fee (which is something that akin to BBC’s license fee) is mandatory under the country’s broadcasting law. Although there is no penalty for those who fail to pay, almost 80% of about 46 million Japanese TV households make monthly payments of about US$12. The 2004 scandal, however, triggered waves of consumer discontent, resulting in about 1,280,000 refusals to pay. This translates into a total revenue loss of some US$42 million or 7.4% of NHK’s gross revenue for the fiscal year 2005 which ended in March 2006. The percentage of fee-paying consumers dropped by almost 10%.1 That marked only the beginnings of NHK’s financial woes. Two twin problems were approaching on the horizon that will affect NHK’s bottom line for years to come: the financial crisis and recession of 2008-09 and the huge changes in the media world brought about by the Internet. Like everyone else NHK is finding that serious journalism is in trouble. Laborious and expensive, news stories and investigative reports that reflect a passionate commitment to the public interest are being squeezed out of our media by new economic realities. Faced with decreasing advertising revenue, media companies have been consolidating rapidly in recent years, in part to take advantage of economies of scale.  Ã‚