Analysing two primary ways of occurring international business

Analysing two primary ways of occurring international business International business is the core theme in conducting business in current era of globalization. In the competitive environment, businesses are competing at global level. In international business a company can engaged in either of the two ways such as import or export. Import and export are the two basic and primary ways of conducting the business (Dunning, 2007). Whenever a company engages into the international business, there are lot many factors which impact the business. Hence there are advantages and disadvantages of both import and export. Considering this view, this assignment report addresses the critical analysis of two primary ways of occurring international business and respective advantages and disadvantages. In addition to this the assignment report also discusses the international and free trade (Fortanier, 2008). Ways of Occurring International Business: Researcher identifies that there are two primary ways of conducting international business: import and export. In import a company or individual purchase the goods outside the country of origin and sold out in domestic country. On the other hand whenever a company or individual produces the product/goods in the country of origin or domestic country and sold out in foreign company (Gupta and Govindarajan, 2008). In both ways there are several factors which have greater impact and influence on international business practice. In addition there are several advantages and disadvantages of import and export. The term export refers to the shipping of goods and services outside the port of a country (Hennart, 2004). Whenever a seller sells such goods, it is known as exporter and whenever a person purchase the goods or services outside the country then it is known as importer. In the international business, the term export means selling the goods and services outside the home country and vic e a versa. Except some goods or services, any products and goods can be exported to other country. The distribution of exported goods is undertaken by the domestic trader in which the goods are exported (Hennart, 2006). It is required to have the involvement of custom authorities while exporting the commercial quantities of goods in both the country of import and country of export. Due to the low value trades, the small trade over the internet such e-bay and Amazon is usually by-pass through custom. Therefore the export is subject to legal and formal restriction by the country of export to safeguard the interest of domestic producers (Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 2008). The counterpart of export is known as import. The transaction of goods and services from resident to non resident is also known as national account export. National accountant therefore sometimes need to make some adjustments of basic trade data and hence the basic trade data requires the statistical analysis. it is different from the coverage of national accounts as the data for international trade is usually obtained from the custom service in the respective country. In case any country consists of general trade then the goods exported or imported in the country are recorded on respective dates. On the other hand in case a company uses special trade system in which the goods are received in warehouses then the goods are not recorded as external trade till the time goods are sent to the free trade zone (Jones, 2006). In free trade zone developed with in the country, some of the goods move freely without any custom, control or statistics in the trade of goods. This is also true in ca se of goods are transferred between the member states. Banks are responsible for the statistical recording for the trade in services and these data points are then reported to the central bank. It is not only applicable for only export but also for the import. In the globalization, the services are provided outside the country electronically such as via internet, therefore it is difficult to measure the amount earned is such cases (Nelson and Winter, 2007). Some basic information or statistics in international trade is normally avoided such as smuggled goods or international flow of illegal services. In the official trade such of type of goods and services is not accounted. Commercial policy and international trade is one of the oldest and most famous branches of international business and thought of economics. Export and import are the major components of the international business. Economists are generally discusses the macro economic risks and benefits of export and import. In presenting the different perspectives, there the two different views such as determining the benefits of international trade and concerning the possibly that the domestic industries may be influenced through international trade (Jones, 2008). For example if an importer imports the electronic goods from china then it is 3 to 4 times cheaper than the domestic producers products. Then the market for the domestic players can be captured by the importers products and the domestic labor will get crushed by the international player. In order to safeguard the interest of domestic market, the government has imposed some policies and duties on imported goods (Easterly, 2008). The export methods include the good or product which is being hand delivered, shipped via port or mailed through internet. The similar process is followed in importing the goods. Trade Regulations: Some of the natural regulations on import and export of goods are export administration regulation, bureau of industry and security, international tariffs, BIS regulation. In addition to this there are some commodities which need international license for import and export. These commodities includes, liquor, gold, tobacco, drugs etc. These regulations vary country to country. The exported or imported item falls under the specific product category and respectively the company can obtain the license. There are some restricted destinations which restricted for both the import and export such as Cuba, Sudan, North Korea, Pakistan, Syria and Iran since these countries promote the terrorist activity (Hennart, 2007). Trade Barriers: Government laws, regulation, policy and practices are generally known as trade barriers which are developed for safeguard the domestic products, labor and market from the foreign players or particular domestic products from the stimulating of artificial export. in order to restrict the business practices, there have been s similar effect which is not generally regarded as trade barrier. The government policies are imposed to protect the international exchange of goods and services in general common foreign trade barriers (Casson, 2008). Strategic: There are certain type of goods, services and information which is limited in the international trade for example goods which are associated with the weapons caused of mass destruction, arms, ammunition, advanced telecommunication, archaeological artifacts and all those items which are not in favor of the country. Some of the major example of these goods includes the nuclear suppliers group, missile technology and technological development (Dunning, 2006). Trade Tariffs: A trade tariff is the tax also known as economic barrier which is imposed by the local government on the items imported in the country. Whenever in the country the foreign competitors goods demand is rising and fallen the demand of domestic players then this tactic is used to safeguard the interest of domestic player. It is therefore the strategic reason to retain the domestic producers and increase their capability by providing them with subsidies and other support (Bartlett and Ghoshal, 2007). Advantages and Disadvantages of International Trade: There are some advantages and disadvantages of international trade for both the export and import. Advantages of Exporting: One of the major advantages of export is the ownership advantage which is specific to the firms international experience, asset and ability of the exporter to either develop the differentiated product or low cost product with in the values chain (Hertner and Jones, 2007). A combination of investment risk and market potential is k won as the location benefit of the particular market combination. In order to retain the core competencies within the organization and stitching it throughout the country without retaining the license, selling or outsourcing is the international advantage in export (Amatori and Jones, 2003). Some of the organizations having lower level of ownership advantage may do not enter into the foreign markets. In case a companys products and companys ownership equipped with the international advantage and ownership advantage, the entry can be made through low risk model known as exporting under the eclectic paradigm. There is low investment requires in exporting of goods than the other modes of international trade and expansion such foreign direct investment. Some how it is recognized that the lower level of risk result in ,lower level of rate of return than possibly the other modes of international trade (Khanna, 2007). On the other hand the usual return on international trade in export sales might not have greater potential but also there will be no risk. In export of goods the managers are allowed to exercise the various operational control however it does not have the option over the control of marketing activities of the company. The end consumer of exported goods is far away from the exporter though the various intermediaries can mange the risk (Jones, 2008). Disadvantages of Exporting: The exporting of goods is specifically difficult and disadvantageous for the small and medium size firms having employees less than 250. The sale of services and goods into the foreign market is difficult for them rather serving the domestic market. A lack of knowledge of different languages, difference in culture, exchange regulations and trade regulations having the major impact on exporting the goods for SMEs. In addition to this the staff interaction and strain of resources is a major block of exporting the goods. Despite this disadvantage, some of the SMEs are still exporting however two third of them sold out to the foreign markets (Jones, 2008). In addition to this there are some major disadvantages highlighted in the export of goods such as financial management, communication technology improvements, and customer demand and management mistakes. In order to minimize the risk of transaction process of exporting the goods and exchange rate fluctuation, it is essential to have more capacity for managing the financials for coping up the efforts (Nelson and Winter, 2007). Customers can now interact with the suppliers due to the recent development is the communication technology has improved the way of purchasing goods, since the communication is mush cheaper then what is was two decades ago. It leads more transparency in transaction and purchasing of goods and vendors are responsible for following the real time demand for submitting the transaction details (Hennart, 2007). The customers are becoming advance due to the improvement in the technology and they demand more support and services from the vendor such as startup and equip ment installation and startup, delivery service and maintenance which are difficult for the exporter to provide. There might be some pitfalls in the organization occurred by some of the management mistakes such as oversea a distributor, an agent or chaos in the global organization (Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 2008). Advantages of Importing: Importing raw materials and goods is one of the paths of increasing the profit margins. There are number of benefits in importing the goods, such as high quality, low prices, and benefits related to the international trade. An importer can have the comparative advantage which means lower prices (Jones, 2006). Also the importer can have the much cheaper products from the foreign market due to low labor cost, low taxes etc. in terms of quality, the importer can have the higher quality goods and produce the finished goods with high quality and extend the business profit margins. In some countries, government provides the support to the importer for developing the trade relations (Nelson and Winter, 2007). Government provides the information of the manufactures and producers in the foreign country so that the importer can purchase the high quality and low price goods. Also due to the government involvement reduces the transaction risk. An importer can access to the regionally exclusive resources and cheap labor for producing the goods. These resources are required in the manufacturing process that have specialized skills and can be sound in certain countries. For example in electronic items, the Japanese people are highly efficient and manufacturer in UK use the labor from Japanese market for producing goods. The importing of resources includes everything starting from labor to technology (Fortanier, 2008). Disadvantages of Importing: There are many governments and economists who believe that the importing goods have numerous disadvantages. For example importing of goods could lead the erosion of the domestic markets and national economies specifically when there is trade deficit occur i.e. the import is higher than the export. Some of the goods like cars; appliances lead a higher level of domestic automobile and electronic markets and also loss of jobs in the respective markets (Hennart, 2007). Some other problems can also be increased due to import of goods such as conflict in the domestic values due to the acceptance of social values. The domestic industries can also be crippled due to the import of the countries where the wages are low and the domestic industries are unable to compete since they cannot lower down their prices of goods than the cost of goods and also they have the obligation to the worker union (Hertner and Jones, 2007). Free Trade Concept: The concept of free trade was introduced in the system to benefit the country and improving the condition of poor by providing them high quality and cheaper products. However as an economist, in my opinion free trade is erosion the domestic players for example if UK government lower the down the import duty on sugar then the demand for the imported sugar will increase and domestic player will not be able to compete with the foreign player (Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 2008). On the other hand the economic category argues that free trade promote the environmental degradation, supporting the child labor, income inequality and wage labor, slavery, harming the national defense, enforcement of cultural change and accentuating the poverty in the country. The economists also argued that the importing goods under free trade are opposed by the domestic industries due to rise in competition in terms of product quality and cheaper prices (Nelson and Winter, 2007). A maximum exploitation of workers due to the free trade is also opposed by the socialists. Free trade generally do not reduce the poverty or improve the condition of working class in the country but frequently make them more poor. It also supports the colonialism and imperialism in the country. On the other hand I believe that in free trade consumer could gain more than the industrialists and the domestic producers are more likely to mobilize their products without lifting the tariffs (Jones, 2006). Conclusion and Suggestions: The competitive business environment enforces the businesses in both the international and domestic markets to retain their business and remain competitive. However depending on the need and potential of the business, it is essential to understand whether the company should indulge into the export or import activity (Gupta and Govindarajan, 2008). It is recommended to the businesses specially the medium and small companies to extend their business potential at domestic market first and then extend into the international market collaboration, joint venture or business partnership. Prosperity in the country cannot be achieved through protectionism since it increases only the poverty and also do not protect the domestic industries or jobs but harm the export business and industries which has belief on imports (Hennart, 2007).

McLean vs Arkansas Essay -- Creationism Creation Science

Science is a word that carries with it many meanings - knowledge, truth, a process of examination. But when it comes to setting a clear definition of the term, difficulties arise. Certainly physics is science, and theology isn't. But many disciplines are less intuitively dichotomized, such as the fields of psychology, history, ethics, and many others. Are these sciences? And while it may at first seem like a rather irrelevant issue only for lexicographers and philosophers, in fact the distinction between what is science and what is not is of great importance to society - for in the formation of the public school curriculum, the distinction between science, which must be taught, and religion, which must not be, is essential to keeping education both factual, up-to-date, and constitutional. The 1982 court case McLean vs. Arkansas put in the public spotlight just how important drawing the distinction is. In what has become a landmark case in the creation/evolution legal debate, the Arkansas legislature passed without debate a bill mandating that the state redraw its science education standards so to include in the state's public high school curricula the body of ideas known as "creationism" - the notion that Earth and its inhabitant life forms were formed in the same forms as they are seen today - alongside evolution - the mainstream view of biologists holding that life developed and diversified gradually over millions of successive generations. The concept of creationism has a strong religious history and very deep religious overtones, and the constitutionality of teaching the subject in a public school immediately was questioned. Called to preside over the resulting legal case was U.S. District Judge William Overton. Thu... ...of testability is unclear and the incorporation of unobserved elements is not unique to creationism, so this in and of itself is not a reason to exclude it from a curriculum - and as previously mentioned Darwin considered the two models of creation and evolution on equal scientific grounds in his arguments. Instead, creationism fails on account of the evidence against it. So in the end, while Overton's attempt to determine essential characteristics of science does not stand up to philosophical scrutiny, his decision was correct: creationism is not part of modern science, and does not belong in the modern classroom. Works Cited Gould, Stephen Jay. The Mismeasure of Man. W. W. Norton and Co.: New York, 1996. Kleppner, Daniel and Robert Kolenkow. An Introduction to Mechanics. McGraw-Hill, Inc: Boston, 1973. McLean v. Arkansas, US District Court. 1982.

Mystery of Love

When somebody talks about love, commonly, all human beings can relate and respond. We all know that love purely exist, so as Its mystery is still present. We know what love is, but we in our self cannot define It. Many have tried to give the meaning of love, but no one can provide the true definition of the word that Is always present everywhere yet remains as an undefined word to anyone. They say that love Is essential to people, we can acquire and give love to others.Being In love Is a magical leaning that everybody would want to have. Love Is so priceless, that even the riches person In the world cannot buy. Money can't buy love, but loves worth Is greater than money. For me, when you love someone, you must show to that person how much you care, trust and understand him. Love Is between Individuals, not only for one self. It Is not selfish, you must be willing to share love to others. Love Is not about the physical appearance, this is the reason why we can't see love, we can only feel it.We don't love just because of beauty, there is a more enough reason why we love someone. We can't explain how enchanted it is to be caught by love, we only know that the feeling is extraordinary. We must never find a reason in loving someone, for its clear that love haven't got a constant meaning so as it doesn't have a distinct reason. I believe that in love, there are no wrong decisions, there only exist wrong persons. We must never regret if someone leave or hurt us, it is just an eye opener hat the person we loved is not the right one for us.There is always a right person that is suited for us, we must learn to wait and not to rush things. We can define love on our own interpretation, that is why is so magical. The mystery of love is not yet unfolded, it continuously retains intriguing. Four lettered words with lots of different meaning and interpretation that varies on each individual. Love is everywhere around us, we must learn to wait until love found and catch us lik e there is no more escaping.

British Petroleum and The Delay of Maintenance Case Analysis

British Petroleum, now known as simply BP, is a multinational oil and gas company that is headquartered in London, England. On March 23, 2005, a series of massive explosions devastated one of the largest British Petroleum refineries located in Texas City. The blast rattled windows in downtown Galveston, 20 miles away and was even felt in Houston, 35 miles distant. Reports indicated that 15 people had been killed and well over 150 were injured, many of those seriously burned.A BP spokesperson addressed the media by explaining how the explosion had occurred while an â€Å"isomerization unit of the plant was being brought back on stream to full production after having been shut down for annual inspection and repair† (Hosmer, 49). As the families of those killed in the explosion mourned their losses, BP pledged to a â€Å"long and intensive investigation to determine the cause of the explosion† (Hosmer, 49). These promises were cut short when accounts of prior problems at B P refineries began to present themselves.Reports revealed that a year ago from the day of the most recent explosion, a blast occurred at the same processing unit of the Texas refinery. No deaths or injuries resulted, but a U. S Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation indicated violations of 14 standard operating procedures. Furthermore, merely a week prior to the Texas City explosion, BP was reported to have settled a large lawsuit claiming that their company had failed to; properly maintain huge storage tanks and improperly falsify the maintenance records of those very storage tanks.A far more condemning report in the September of 2005 found hundreds of safety violations related to a venting system at the isomerization unit, seen to not have been working properly. As a result, the OSHA imposed a probationary period, in which, BP had to request permission from the agency to start up old isomerization units, report all accidents and injuries, and hire outsi de professionals to review all refinery safety programs and procedures. BP began accepting wider responsibilities and planned to spend more than $1 billion on improving maintenance procedures.However, the company began to lose its credibility as yet another study revealed that the same isomerization tower that had leaked flammable gases to cause the deadly March 23 explosion, had leaked those same gases not once before, but eight times (Hosmer, 59). Two separate accounts of whistleblowing helped the OSHA conclude that BP’s lack of maintenance and worker training was a result of their continual demands to reduce fixed costs, which of course, the senior officials of BP denied.Stakeholder Analysis In a case that involves such environmental destruction, fines, lawsuits and more importantly, the loss of human life; a wide variety of stakeholders are affected. The first primary social stakeholder is of course the central company to the case itself- British Petroleum, consisting of all its officials and executive members. To commence, since BP is the party being sued for the massive explosion at the Texas City refinery, it has a tremendous amount of stake in the case.BP possesses a high interest in this situation, as it is their reputation and profits that evaporate with all of the proceeding lawsuits and investigations. In the same way, they possess high power because they have the full authority and financing to regularly maintain their production facilities and sufficiently train their staff. Referring to the typology of stakeholder attributes, it is clear that BP has high power, high legitimacy, high urgency and a close proximity in this case.As mentioned earlier, BP attains a great deal of power because their decisions are the root cause of the problem. The fact that BP is the defendant in all its major lawsuits, and has so much at stake gives it high legitimacy. Not only that, but the situation for BP is very urgent as the majority of their facility is d amaged and unable to produce any profits for the company. BP definitely possesses close proximity to the case, with their facility and management all situated at the explosion.All of these characteristics prove BP as a definitive stakeholder that can be harmed through the bad publicity; countless lawsuits, fines and investigations; damage to multi-billion dollar refinery; and loss of profits. The only possible benefit for BP in this pool of harms is that this explosion gives them an opportunity to rebuild the refinery with new, safer technology that abides standard operating procedures. BP claims that the massive explosion is a result of highly complicated chemical processes and even places blame on its employees for â€Å"operational mistakes†.The government agency OSHA thinks otherwise, and imposes their legal right to a probationary period on BP and its operations. BP thinks they are in no wrong, but they are denied the right to appeal for a shorter probationary period as the delay of proper maintenance is confirmed as the cause of the destruction (â€Å"csb. gov†). Moving on, another primary social stakeholder affected by the explosion of the Texas City BP refinery, is the employees and managers of the facility itself. Many employees working in the facility have lost their lives and suffered life-threatening injuries.For this reason, their interest in the situation is very high as their health and well-being is placed in jeopardy. In addition, due to the explosion, these workers are unable to earn wages to support their families. These employees have very limited power because they have no control over the decisions made by BP to properly maintain their facilities. Consequently, the employees and managers of the BP refinery have low power, high legitimacy, high urgency and a very close proximity to the case.To further explain, their measure of low power is the result of their position on the BP ladder. They simply carry out the orders enforce d by BP officials such as cutting â€Å"costs by 25 percent† (Hosmer, 53), without paying much attention to the consequences. They also possess high legitimacy with their life and loss of employment at stake. Their urgency is high as they are unable to earn wages and must resort to external sources of income to provide for their loved ones. Also, those injured in the incident must seek medical attention very urgently.Lastly, the employees clearly have close proximity as they work and reside in the vicinity of the facility that has been damaged with the blast. This combination of attributes deems the managers and employees a dependent stakeholder, which is reliant on the BP officials to carry out their will. These members of the case have virtually no benefit from the explosion. Due to the dangerous working conditions and BP’s high expenditures on the explosion, they are harmed with a possible risk of injury or death and potential job loss.Prior to the accident, these s takeholders were denied the legal right to an adequate training regime, which may have been a factor in the blast as stated in an interim report issued by BP (Hosmer, 50). The workers of BP were also denied their legal right to a union, further addressing their lack of power and independency in the case. Finally, a third stakeholder affected by the massive blast of the BP refinery is the U. S Government, but more specifically, the federal agency OSHA (Occupation Safety and Health Administration).Unlike the others, this secondary social stakeholder has a public or special interest stake in the case that is more indirect. The OSHA has a tremendous amount of power and interest given that it is in their authority to ensure BP’s business practices align with the standard operating procedures and provide safe work environments for the citizens of their nation. This secondary stakeholder can also be classified as a definitive stakeholder due to its high power, high legitimacy, high urgency and close proximity to the case.To elaborate, the OSHA has issued lawsuits, fines, investigations and even a probationary period on the practices of BP and will continue to do so until the proper production requirements are met, giving them tremendous power. They possess high legitimacy and high urgency as it is in their right to prevent any future incidents that could lead to the loss of human life and mass environmental damage, in the shortest possible time period. Clearly the U. S government, with all its branched locations, has close proximity to the accident and all key stakeholders involved in the case. Though the OSHA may benefit from showing positive involvement (i.e. investigation reports, fines etc. ) in the eyes of the public, the incident may actually decrease other countries’ investing interests. As touched upon earlier, the government has exercised their legal right to issue fines, suspensions and in-depth investigations. Through this extensive process a nd help from the media, the OSHA has been able to bring the amoral actions of the BP Company to the public’s eye, concluding that; regular maintenance of the production facility would have been enough to prevent the immense explosion. Define the Complete Moral Problem State the moral problem in a â€Å"complete† question form.Is it ethically permissible for the BP Company to ignore and delay the maintenance requirements of their Texas City refinery given that: 1) the massive explosion caused 15 deaths and over 150 life-threatening injuries; 2) the employees, managers, local communities and environment are placed in a volatile situation; 3) it is one of the largest refineries located in the United States; 4) BP settled a large lawsuit claiming that it had (1) failed to properly maintain huge storage tanks and (2) improperly falsify the maintenance records for those storage tanks† a week prior to the explosion (Hosmer, 50); 5) the same isomerization tower that leak ed the flammable gases to cause the March 23 explosion, had leaked those same gases eight times before; 6) a blast had occurred at the same gas processing unit of Texas City refinery a year prior to the March 23 explosion; 7) they were charged millions of dollars by the OSHA after finding hundreds of alleged safety violations in their facility; 8) they falsely pledged to a â€Å"long and intensive investigation to determine the cause of the explosion† (Hosmer, 49); 9) they were trying to cut costs by 25 percent after realizing an after-tax profit of $15. 7 billion? Characterize the Moral Problem Why is this a moral problem? According to Hosmer, a moral problem is a situation â€Å"in which the firm’s financial performance and social performance are in conflict† (Hosmer, 55). To further elaborate, a moral problem can present itself when a company disregards the needs and rights of its stakeholders in the pursuit of profit and financial reward. These are the situa tions when some individuals or groups to whom the organization has some form of obligation, such as employees and customers, are going to be harmed while others will be benefitted.In considering the issue involving the explosion of the Texas City refinery, it is clear to see that BP disregards the rights of its employees, managers and local communities by continually operating â€Å"rusty, unsafe and unmaintained systems† (Wolf), in order to cut costs and reap a greater financial reward. We can clearly see the direct relationship between the parties that have been harmed and denied their rights, as compared to those that are benefitted and profit from this decision, ultimately creating a conflict between financial and social performance. Thus, this issue is a moral issue. Define the kind of moral issue involved in the problem. To specify, the kind of moral issue present in the case is both a violation of justice and rights.In terms of justice, the OSHA, a branch of the U. S g overnment confirms that BP is in violation of fourteen standard operating procedures and hundreds of other safety violations. Moreover, a week prior to the explosion, BP settled a large California lawsuit as it claimed that it had failed to properly maintain storage tanks and improperly falsified the maintenance record for those storage tanks. With their decision to ignore maintenance, BP is breaking the federal law in order to increase profit and others are being harmed for it. Two cases of whistleblowing revealed that BP managers were ordered by senior officials to â€Å"cut costs by 25 percent† (Hosmer, 53).This is simply unfair for parties with close proximity to the case, such as the refinery staff, as they are unable to maintain a facility, which they know for certain, is dangerous â€Å"with its interrelated valves, controls, tanks, flares and alarms- found to not have been working properly† (Hosmer, 50). In terms of it being a rights issue, BP has violated seve ral positive legal rights and laws. For example, BP initially places blame of the Texas City explosion on its workers for â€Å"operational and supervisory mistakes† (Hosmer, 50). By making this claim, BP is violating the positive legal right to adequate employee training. Furthermore, these very individuals working inside the BP refinery are denied the positive legal right to a safe working environment. The massive blast is, as determined a result of BP’s ignorance of necessary repairs.Thus, BP is responsible for violating their employees’ positive legal right to work and provide for their families as well. Therefore, rights and justice are presented in this case. Due to the rights violated and lack of justice, this is definitely a moral problem. Determine the Economic Outcomes The concept of Pareto Optimality is key for determining the economic outcomes. Pareto Optimality refers â€Å"to a condition in which the scare resources of society are being used so ef ficiently by the producing firms, and the goods and services are being distributed so effectively by the competitive markets, that it would be impossible to make any single person better off without harming some other person† (Hosmer, 27).In order to achieve Pareto Optimality; all markets must be competitive; all customers and suppliers must be informed; and all costs must be included. In the case of BP’s Texas City refinery, the condition that states all internal and external costs must be included is violated. BP fails to recognize the costs necessary to maintain their facility, which results in the massive March 23 explosion. For example, when it was discovered that the same isomerization tower that leaked the flammable gases to cause the March 23 explosion, had leaked those same gases eight times before, all costs to repair the facility were ignored and operations were continued as normal.In addition, BP fails to include; the costs associated with the loss of employ ee wages caused by the destruction of the refinery; and the costs of tarnishing the health reputation of local communities. While BP does recognize the costs to mitigate their environmental impact and compensate for all victims, such expenditures only represent a small fraction of the total social and environmental damage caused by their operations. Also, all customers and suppliers are not informed of BP’s practices, thus, they are in violation of another Pareto Optimality condition. Hosmer explains that all parties â€Å"must be knowledgeable about the features of the products and standards of the company† (Hosmer, 8).BP does not disclose all information regarding their products and standards, in fact, generates corrupt documents in the process. This was evident when BP attempted to conceal a large California lawsuit, in which â€Å"they pleaded guilty to not properly maintaining, and falsifying the maintenance reports of huge storage tanks† (â€Å"dol. gov. com†). Without all necessary information, parties cannot make rational choices and express true preferences. In this situation, we cannot take the action that will generate the greatest profit for the company because this will definitely not generate the greatest benefit for society since all costs are not included and all information is not available.This moral problem cannot be solved economically or by applying Pareto Optimality because human-well being is still being jeopardized for a marginal profit to BP, even when an after-tax profit of $15. 7 billion is realized. Consider the Legal Requirements The law in a democratic society is the minimum collective standard that we hold people accountable to. In this case, the laws that must be obeyed by BP and its operations are the United States government regulations imposed on petroleum industries. In the time leading up to and following the devastative explosion, BP has failed to comply with a significant number of legal requir ements. In 2004, BP was cited for 14 alleged violations of standard operating procedures at their Texas City refinery.In September 2005, seven months after the explosion central to this case, the OSHA found hundreds of safety violations that it called â€Å"egregious and willful† (Hosmer, 50). Not only was BP in violation of their legal operational rights, they also denied their staff the legal right to a safe work environment. However, since the outbreak of BP’s actions, the U. S government has been active in ensuring that all legal requirements are met. Following the September 2005 report, the OSHA levied a record size fine of $21. 4 million on BP. Also imposed, was a three-year probationary period in which BP â€Å"had to request permission from the agency before starting up old refinery units and report all accidents and injuries, regardless of cause, to the agency on a regular basis† (Hosmer, 51).Now, although the OSHA was able to bring some positive change , there are still problems with the law relevant to the case. Initially, the aforementioned government agency lacked adequate information to impose the necessary regulations upon BP that would force them to maintain their facilities properly. Due to the fact that BP was falsifying their maintenance reports and managing to stay clear of the media, it was not until a series of in-depth investigations after the Texas City incident that the OSHA was able to reveal the company’s maintenance fraud. The legal information observed in this case tends to lag behind the necessary regulations and moral standards of society, proving that the law is flawed by lengthy delays.Due to the missing adequate information and lengthy delays, simply obeying the law will not solve the moral problem. The government takes action after investigating the cause, which is not up to par with society’s needs especially when human well being is being jeopardized. Even with federal regulations in place, in 2006, BP caused â€Å"the largest oil spill on the North Slope of Alaska† because their major pipeline â€Å"was found to have been poorly maintained, to be badly rusted, and to require total replacement† (Hosmer, 52). BP is operating against the law, even though they possess adequate information on their social and environmental consequences. The government regulations such as the $21.4 million fine as observed in the case, are â€Å"much more a minor matter for BP, [who] had reported an after-tax profit of $15. 7 billion† (Hosmer, 50). Thus, the law cannot be used to solve this moral problem as BP is both lawful and immoral. Evaluate the Ethical Duties In order to propose a solution to a moral dilemma as such, it is crucial to analyze the ethical duties of BP and the various ethical theories that apply. First, the principle of Personal Virtues comes in to play. It implies that one should â€Å"never take any decision or action that is not open, honest and truthful, and one that you would feel proud to see widely reported† (Hosmer, 99). It is clear that BP’s actions have directly violated this principle.Their decision to knowingly delay the maintenance of their problematic facility without informing many key stakeholders is definitely not open. BP also settled a lawsuit in which they â€Å"falsified the maintenance records for storage tanks† (Hosmer, 50), which is neither honest nor truthful. The key stakeholders in the case, such as the management of the refinery have not been open, honest and truthful, thus, cannot be proud of their decisions. This is seen in a two cases of whistleblowing where a manager of the Texas City refinery â€Å"claimed that he had been ordered to cut costs by 25 percent in early 2005† and another BP executive â€Å"had been directed to keep his maintenance expenditures low† (Hosmer, 53).Since both of these members of the BP Company were â€Å"laid off† following the press release, it is clear that BP did not want the leaked information widely reported. Therefore, BP violates the principle of Personal Virtues. Moving on, the theory of Utilitarian Benefits is one that takes an instrumental approach, assigning costs and benefits to an outcome. It states that one should â€Å"never take any decision or action that does not generate greater benefits than harms for the society of which you are a part† (Hosmer, 99). Based on the classical version of theory, from which, actions are judged solely in terms of their consequences, BP is in serious violation. Their decision to ignore maintenance requirements and operate under dangerouscircumstances leads to a massive blast that has virtually no benefits for the society, other than the fact that BP is provided with an opportunity to rebuild a safer, more secure facility. This benefit is very minute so we can assign it a 4 out of 10. Diametrically, the aforementioned decision creates numerous harms to society such as; 15 deaths and over 170 injuries; major environmental damage; loss of jobs and much more. Being of such importance, it is only fitting that we assign these outcomes with higher values such as 10,8 and 7 out of 10, respectively. Adding up the scores for the benefits and harms, we clearly see that the harms outweigh the benefits, thus, there is overwhelming evidence to infer the Utilitarian Benefits principle is violated.Furthermore, the principle of Universal Duties implies that you should â€Å"never take any decision or action that you would not be wiling to see others, faced with the same or a closely similar situation, be free and even encourage to take† (Hosmer, 99). In the case of BP, their actions directly defy the categorical imperative of the Universalizability Principle, which implies that you should act only according to the maxim you are willing to universalize. If BP universalized their behaviour of ignoring maintenance requirements in oil refiner ies or their disregard to employee safety and well-being, several catastrophic industrial incidents could occur causing deaths, injuries, environmental damage and an overall decrease in the quality of life.In fact, universalizing this behaviour would be self-defeating as the lack of clean water and resources would hinder the growth of petroleum industries. Looking at the Respect version of the categorical imperative, it is clear that BP is once again in violation. The principle explains how one should use humans â€Å"always as an end and never as a means only† (Hosmer, 96). The BP Company uses their employees as merely a means to an end by ordering them to carry out duties within the refinery. Given the numerous risks present in the workplace, the workers are treated as objects with very little care and value, useful only in achieving the company’s aim. BP does not abide with the both aspects of the categorical imperative; therefore, it violates the Universal Duties p rinciple.Another ethical duty worth evaluation is the principle of Distributive Justice. This theory mentions that moral standards are based on the primacy of a single value, justice, and that â€Å"everyone should act to ensure a more equitable distribution of benefits and burdens†, because this promotes individual self respect, essential for cooperation (Hosmer, 100). This theory, unlike the others, is hypothetical and teleological. If we were to conduct a thought experiment, whereby we imagine ourselves in the original position behind the veil of ignorance, it is clear that BP’s actions violate the Difference principle. Behind the veil of ignorance, we are unaware of our socioeconomic status.However, we are in the original position, which means we are interested in ourselves and those that who we care about to succeed; thus, we would want benefits and burdens to be distributed equitably, as we do not know which party we belong to. The least advantaged members of the society include the workers of the BP refinery since they earn low labour wages, taking orders from BP managers and senior officials. With BP’s decision to ignore the gas leaks, rusty pipelines and delay future maintenance of their refinery, high proximity employees are placed in a very volatile situation. They can very possibly encounter life-threatening injuries or death.BP’s actions fail to benefit the least advantaged members of society, which is unfair. Consequently, BP is not acting in their right moral duty. Moreover, the decision to delay maintenance destroys the BP refinery and does not provide the workers with increased employment (or any employment for that matter). Due to the facts outlined, the social and economic inequalities created through BP’s amoral actions are not justified. By means of a though experiment, it is evident that an equitable distribution of benefits and burdens is one that benefits the least advantaged members of society. The fi nal ethical duty is Contributive Liberty or Libertarianism.In the same way, it explains that moral standards are based on the primacy of a single value, which is liberty, and that â€Å"everyone should act to ensure greater freedom of choice† as this promotes market exchange, essential for social productivity (Hosmer, 100). Applying this theory, it becomes clear that BP’s actions are in violation with this principle. A few stakeholders, such as employees have their negative rights violated with the explosion, as they are unable to work and earn wages in a dangerous facility lacking maintenance repairs. More importantly, they are not ensured greater freedom of choice because even though they can see the flaws located in the refinery, they must proceed with the instructions from management. In the same way, the management is also denied a freedom to maintain the facility as they are ordered to â€Å"cut costs by 25 percent† or otherwise, risk losing their position s.By suppressing the freedom of these two stakeholders, BP is liable for the massive blast which shuts down the supply of BP petroleum and gas products; ultimately, obstructing efficient market exchange and violating the principle of Contributive Liberty. Propose and Defend a Solution After determining the economic outcomes, considering the legal requirements and evaluating the ethical duties, it is appropriate to make my recommendation. My proposed solution to BP’s moral problem is to make its most disadvantaged stakeholders better off and implement an ‘Employee Workplace Evaluation Program’ as a part of BP’s regular operations. It is important to note that this case has already been â€Å"solved† legally through BP being sued, fined and placed on a probationary period, however, it does not help the moral situation as the law cannot solve anything morally.BP is already mitigating its environmental impact through financial compensation, but my solut ion involves them to start by personally apologizing to each and every family they have harmed through the explosion of the refinery. Next, BP needs to work with local communities to provide long-term health care, food and other services to those families that have either lost or suffered an injury to an earning loved one. In my opinion, this is the least a multi-billion dollar oil corporation can do to begin righting its amoral actions. The second step in my solution entails BP implementing an Employee Workplace Evaluation Program or EWEP, with overview from government authorities (OSHA).This will give the workers inside BP facilities an opportunity to report on various aspects of their job such as; the safety of the equipment; specific work instructions from their boss; any hazardous occurrences (regardless of magnitude); all of which, are relevant to the cause of the March 23 explosion. With the use of an EWEP, all information is openly available, honest and truthful from the emp loyee’s perspective, thus conforming to principle of Personal Virtues. The solution also holds true for Utilitarian Benefits as the benefits of helping families recover from devastation and ensuring the future safety of employees, greatly outweighs the harms. Finally, by providing employees with the freedom of speech, BP will be able to align with the principle of Contributive Liberty and create more secure and productive work environments.

Hopefully Caring Less About Shibboleths

Hopefully Caring Less About Shibboleths Hopefully Caring Less About Shibboleths Hopefully Caring Less About Shibboleths By Maeve Maddox In a recent email reader Phil Dragonetti raises the specter of could/couldnt care less. Why do some say I could care less;when they really mean I couldnt care less.? Weve already dealt with that shibboleth at DWT. I still have the bruises to show for voicing the opinion that as far as Im concerned, either is acceptable to convey the idea that one cares very little about a matter. The argument that the couldnt care less form is more logical moves me not at all. Since when is it a requirement of an English idiom that it be logical? Todays shibboleth is the word hopefully used with the meaning it is to be hoped that. Some examples: His parting remark was, â€Å"Hopefully, they will get it right next time.† Hopefully they’re working on a Mac port. Hopefully, they will end college the way they started it together. Hopefully weve won some fans over today, (This from a British source) Hopefully we are not headed for disaster in Cairo. This use of hopefully is disdained by many. For example this entry at Englishplus.com: Hopefully is an adverb which means what it ought to [italics mine]full of hope or characterized by hope. It normally modifies verbs. Nonstandard English sometimes substitutes the word hopefully for I hope (or some other subject with the verb hope). Correct: They listened hopefully for the sound of the rescue party. †¨(They listened with hope) Incorrect: Hopefully, they will come in time. Correct: I hope they will come in time. On the other hand, heres the note at Merriam-Webster: it is hoped : I hope : we hope usage In the 1960s the second sense of hopefully, which dates to the early 18th century and had been in fairly widespread use since at least the 1930s, underwent a surge in popularity. A surge of criticism followed in reaction, but the criticism took no account of the grammar of adverbs. Hopefully in its second sense is a member of a class of adverbs known as disjuncts. Disjuncts serve as a means by which the author or speaker can comment directly to the reader or hearer usually on the content of the sentence to which they are attached. Many other adverbs (as interestingly, frankly, clearly, luckily, unfortunately) are similarly used; most are so ordinary as to excite no comment or interest whatsoever. The second sense of hopefully is entirely standard. I often wonder what it is about some words or expressions that causes people to harbor such strong feelings against them. This comment by a guest of Charlie Rose is what prompted me to write about hopefully: [We should] tax all people 90% for misusing hopefully. Animosity towards hurtful ethnic or gender slurs are one thing. But hopefully? (Excuse me while I put on my catchers mask. I know Im about to be pelted.) Michael Quinion has an excellent discussion of hopefully at World Wide Words . You may also find the note at Answers.com of interest. Although I dont find hopefully particularly objectionable as a sentence adverb, I have to acknowledge that audience is everything. College students, for example, would do well to avoid the taboo usage in a written assignment. And I have to admit that I have friends and relatives around whom I would hesitate to use it. Sometimes knowing youre right doesnt matter. I recall a college English professor who told how he learned the importance of adapting to ones audience when he was home helping with the harvest and foolishly asked his fellow workers: To whom does this pitchfork belong? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts50 Idioms About Arms, Hands, and FingersLetter Writing 101

Marketing Communication Activities Research Paper

Marketing Communication Activities - Research Paper Example Marketing communication activities are primarily aimed at building awareness of the existence of a business, its products, its services and its position. Such activities are done through advertising, trade show presentations, web sites, press releases, brochures and other public relations activities. This report will discuss the marketing communications activities for pre and post-launch aimed at optimizing food and beverage income for investors who are establishing a hotel. The report will also highlight the tools and approaches required for measuring the effectiveness of these marketing communication activities. Introduction The property at 45 Avenue de la Gare in Lausanne has been bought by the investment team that wishes to establish a hotel at the site. This report is a consultancy support paper that provides professional advice to the investment team on the marketing communication activities that it can be involved in so as to effectively deal with competition and market condit ions within the Lausanne area. The new hotel that is being set up is aimed at providing affordable luxury which appeals to mobile warriors and is attractive to a local hip crowd. The hotel is intended to have comfortable beds, social spaces and a business pop-up space to be used for short term retail meetings and small seminars. The new hotel is finally meant to have a welcome area, dining space, functional work-out space with basic gym equipment and space as well as being technologically relevant. The marketing communications activities are intended to pass across messages that the hotel is accessible, affordable, ambient, kid-friendly and functional. This report will highlight the marketing communication activities that the hotel can be engaged in so as to send messages to the potential customers that the hotel that the hotel is accessible, affordable, ambient, kid-friendly and functional. Marketing communication planning It is imperative that all marketing activities should be gu ided by a marketing communications plan which is strategically thought out so as to guide all marketing and promotion activities (Clow and Baack, p. 9). Marketing communications activities are all the programs that are designed by the marketing team to sell products, services or ideas of a business. These activities need to be planned for so that they can succeed. Market communication planning is usually made up of four major steps which are: 1. Research Research involves the systematic and objective gathering of pertinent information that will be used in determine what will messages will be communicated and to whom they will be communicated (Clow and Baack, p. 10). Research is necessary before planning is done and it can be done through browsing libraries, web sites and asking opinions of authoritative and reputable people. Research on marketing communication activities is necessary because it helps to find out the basic attitudes of customers so that we can know construct effectiv e messages. Research is also useful because it measures the true opinions of the various groups that will need to be communicated to. The hotel investment team should conduct research on market communication activities so as to identify opinion leaders who have influence over the target market. The hotel investment team will be able to minimize on costs since it will only concentrate on key audiences and valid objectives during the market

Primary Network Characteristics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Primary Network Characteristics - Assignment Example They will require a wide range of equipment and plant, which will go along the schedule and sequence of activities that have been put in place. Thus, as indicated by Hecht (2012, par. 1), the accomplishment of this project will involve the use of fiber optic cables that are established in the submarine manner. As such, due to the challenges posed by the sea conditions and icebergs, it will be necessary to lay the cables using ships that are meant to work in icy conditions. These are the ice-rated ships (Hecht 2012, par. 3-5). The laying of the cable will need a distribution with the use of bandwidth that is composed of microwaves and terrestrial cables. Among the other equipment that will be necessary for this project include the cables, and repeaters of different wavelengths and capacities (Articfibre 2014, par. 1-5). Buffers or the outer jackets, claddings that are made of glass, as well as calculators will be important in finding the distance and fiber loss during the operation (I MC networks 2009, p. 9). It will be vital to note that these activities can only be performed during particular months of the year. In order to install the fiber optic, it could be wise to use a bandwidth of about 1 or 10 GB/s since it has the capacity to enhance the performance required. However, in the installation of the fiber optics, there are certain specific considerations that have to be made. They include the security of the fiber optic cables and their related expenses. The cables are left exposed and therefore hackers can gain access. The installation of fiber optics is associated with many expenses thus proper planning must be enhanced to ensure cost minimization.