My Memories of the State Park Essays -- Personal Experience

When I think about my favorite childhood places to visit, one spot stands out above the rest. My parents took my family to the State Park every year on Columbus Day weekend. Cramped in a station wagon between my three other brothers in the back seat, I remember the car ride to seemingly take triple the amount of time it really took. The time that it took to get to the state park was always increased when my parents would stop for lunch at the half way point, something they did each and every time. I knew we were close when I saw a sign for the Mall. It was a very weathered sign on the side of an even more deteriorating barn that could not have been larger than a classroom. I always laughed to myself about this sign because even though the sign advertised the mall was four miles ahead, the lettering of â€Å"4 miles ahead† was in a text size that you could barely make out as a passenger in a car traveling fifty miles per hour. If you were not paying attention, you would mistake this element torn building as the actual mall and feel a slight pity for the poor town. Though, seeing this sign and feeling the pity was a small price to pay for nearly being at your favorite place on Earth and out of your cramped conveyance. Shortly after the sign, there are road signs for the State Park which lead you to a steep, winding mountain road. Going up this incline in an overstuffed, late model station wagon seemed like it took more time than the two hour car ride it took to get to it. Then, finally, a carved boulder on the right side of the road appeared and proclaimed â€Å"STATE PARK.† This rock always had special meaning to me. It was a massive stone that never shifted from where it settled probably several decades ago. Th... ...ss visitors great experiences and upon arrival to it, it will be your turn to have them. The State Park holds many other places that offer different sorts of ventures, but when you truly respect the land, the tiniest encounters often yield the largest rewards. When you forego visiting the popular tourist destinations and decide to make your own exploits, the possibility of experiencing true freedom is increased. Going to a crowded beachfront by the lake, waiting in lines for bathrooms or to buy worms for fishing has less potential for adventure than simply walking into the woods without so much as a destination. There, in the woods, you will forget for hours that you live in society. Shortly after that absence of thought, you will find yourself doing unexpected and fulfilling activities that will shape your mind and outlook on life for as long as you live.

Information and Communications Technology Essay

Executive Summary In the advance world of Information and Communications Technology, a lot of Information Systems has been developed to alleviate manual processes. These Information Systems comes in different projects. A good project depends on so many varying factors. The most important factor is having a very good Project Manager who is tasked to meet his members in order to plan the steps to be done in software development. He should be able to establish an open communication to his members so that ideas are free-flowing. The Project Manager is responsible for dividing the team, each with different task to do – that is to follow the systematic way in software project development- Project Life Cycle. Following the Project Life Cycle is another factor that can affect project success. If a member in a team does not possess a good working relationship and can hardly work in a group, chances are – the project is a total chaos. The members of the development team should share their knowledge and expertise in order to accomplish the best possible output and to deliver the project on the estimated data. A project also needs the attention of the owner. If the top management does not give 100% support to the project development team or does not support the computerization of many business processes, the company will not be able to accomplish its objectives. However, problems in software development can hardly be avoided. Problems occur anytime within the development of the project. The Project Manager as well as the members should anticipate problems and should be able to provide quick solutions so that the delivery of the project cannot be delayed. Project Development Introduction When a lot of work has been assigned, it is very tempting to stay late to get everything done before the next day. But according to a research, this is not a good practice because workers who have this kind of attitude are 61% more likely to suffer work-related injuries. (Reader’s Digest March 1996, 132) The above-mentioned attitude of an employee is of great help to the company because it just shows that they are dedicated to their job. In this way, projects assigned to these employees can easily be complied and can be submitted even before the deadline. Large companies should have these types of employees in order to deliver projects on time most especially in the field of Information Technology where all transactions happen in just a click. Because of the fast-paced advancement in the field of Information and Communications Technology, most; if not all; organizations nowadays want an Information System that can help them in their day-to-day business operations. This Information System is built to alleviate the burden that manual procedures bring. This also makes the organization be abreast with the latest technology and not be left behind by their competitors. In selecting a company that can answer the needs of big organization in terms of developing good software, the company needs to look for developmental organizations which can deliver projects on time and be able to complete the requirements being specified. Software Life Cycle Activities In order for companies to deliver projects on time, the software development group has to follow the Software Life Cycle. A project intended for large organizations should be broken down into smaller chunks to give enough attention to each of the smaller modules. In this way, the members of the group can focus on each phase and deal with problems, which arise while the realizing of each phase takes place, more systematically. The Software Life Cycle divides a large-scope project into the following six phases: Analysis and specification of the task (Savitch 1993, 115) Design of the software (Savitch 1993, 115) Implementation (coding) (Savitch 1993, 115) Testing (Savitch 1993, 115) Maintenance and evolution of the system (Savitch 1993, 115) Obsolescence (Savitch 1993, 115) The CHAOS study divided the project into three (3) types: Project Success – the project is completed successfully incorporating all the specified features, Project Challenged – the project is completed but with less features and delivered late and Project Impaired- the project is cancelled during the development cycle. The group conducted a survey and they found out that there are factors affecting each of the three types of project. Taking into consideration the Project Success category, it was found out that User Involvement has the highest percentage in terms of accomplishing the project.   User involvement got 15.9% among all other factors. While the factor that really deterred a project success is Hardworking Staff. (Standish,1995) Based on the facts presented, one of the major factors why an organization/project succeeds is due to hardworking staffs. If only a certain company hires employees who can work under pressure and requires less supervision, surely the management can deliver to its customers the desired project even before the deadline. Project Challenged Factors are Lack of User Input (12.8%), Incomplete Requirements & Specifications (12.3%), Changing Requirements & Specifications (11.8%), Lack of Executive Support  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (7.5%), Technology Incompetence (7.0%), Lack of Resources (6.4%), Unrealistic Expectations (5.9%), Unclear Objectives (5.3%), Unrealistic Time Frames (4.3%), New Technology (3.7%)   and Other factors (23.0%). (Standish,1995) The data above shows that the major factor that contests a project is lack of user input. User involvement greatly helps a project’s success since users are the direct beneficiaries of the project. They can also contribute to the features that will be incorporated into the system. Developing a user-friendly application may be one criteria of a project success. A user-friendly application is needed so that the company need not conduct a month or two training just to teach the users on how to navigate through the system. A project can be anything an organization wants to accomplish to deliver to its customers. It should have definite goals and objectives. A good Project Management involves a proper organization, management, planning, supervising and controlling to bring out a successful project. One major challenges of a good project management is the accomplishment of its goals and objectives while adhering to the project’s scope, time and budget. Objectives of the project must be specific, measurable, realistic, and relevant to the environment and is time bounded. (Free Management Library, 1997-2008) The figure shows the procedures to be best followed by the management in developing a successful project. Figure 1.0: Project Life Cycle (Foote & Crum, 2000) In addition, the following are the key aspects of a Project Life Cycle: Setting goals and estimating costs (Foote & Crum, 2000) Before starting any project, a clear specification of the goals and objectives should be set so that the management has a clear guide as where the project is going. Costs should also be estimated for the management to prepare enough funds in the development of the project. The functional requirements study (Foote & Crum, 2000) Functional requirements should be clearly specified so that the management can focus on these requirements and can research ways and means on how to meet these. But before finalizing the requirements of the project, the management has to conduct a feasibility on what are to be included and what are not and on what are best needed by the their clients. The creation of a prototype (Foote & Crum, 2000) A prototype or an archetype should be first developed to see if the project is feasible or not. Prototypes serve as a sample output when the system will be completed. Presenting this one will give the management an idea of how the system will work and what benefits can it give to them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order for an organization to accomplish and deliver projects on time, they have to have a good set of workers who are willing to be trained to further enhance learning. Moreover, the following are the steps to a successful project: Scope out a detailed plan (Alexandrou, 2006) Watch out for bad RFPs bid (Alexandrou, 2006) Plan ahead (Alexandrou, 2006) Find the bottleneck (Alexandrou, 2006) Do not cut corners on testing (Alexandrou, 2006) Develop a backup system (Alexandrou, 2006) Prepare other contingency plans (Alexandrou, 2006) Train, train, train and train some more (Alexandrou, 2006) Be honest (Alexandrou, 2006) Triage fixes (Alexandrou, 2006) Additionally, other suggested steps that a company may carry to deliver good IT projects to its clients are listed below: Discover (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Dreams (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Desire (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Decision (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Destination (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Direction (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Daily action (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Discipline (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Determination (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Delight (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Destiny (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The above-mentioned steps can best be applied to an organization which has a good project manager that possesses the needed knowledge to perform all tasks and responsibilities assigned to him. A good leadership skill is also needed to inspire and garner respect from its team members and also from the top management. An outstanding project manager always conveys ideas in an articulate manner that resounds with the targeted audience and therefore should have a good communication skill. (Wu, 2005) On the other hand, there are also factors that greatly affects why a project fails. These IT projects fail because when the management does not able to deliver the project on time, it is over budget and the system does not work as required. The following are the reasons why an IT Project fails: (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) Lack of user involvement (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) A very important factor since the Information System is mainly built for users/customers. So, this Information System should be able to satisfy what users want and need. Long or unrealistic time scales (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) If the group assigned to develop the Information System specifies unrealistic deadlines surely the system is a failure. Before setting deadlines, the group must consider the features incorporated in the system. Poor or no requirements (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) Specifying the system’s requirements is an important aspect in project development but if the management fails to do so, the project is of no good. Scope creep (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) The scope and limitation of the project should be clearly defined. No change control system (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) There should be proper control over the system. Poor testing (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) This happens when testing measures are not clearly established.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, projects fail due to stakeholder conflicts. Stakeholder conflicts can take part in many different roles in project failure. Frequently, stakeholders have personal reasons/conflicts for not being able to work as a team.   Ã‚  (Rosenfield, No year)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, the following are various reasons why projects are not delivered on the schedule specified: Lack of senior management commitment (Wilson, 1998) When the top management does not give its 100% support to the project being developed, the project will not meet the deadline and eventually fails. Lack of user involvement (Wilson, 1998) As mentioned above, users should be involved in the development of the project because they should be the ones whom the management asked for the specifications the project should have. Lack of user requirements specifications (Wilson, 1998) User requirements specifications should be done during the planning stage to carefully analyze the features that are to be included in the system. Poor project planning (Wilson, 1998) Planning is the most critical step in software project development life cycle. The success of the project depends on the effort, skill and care applied in the planning stage. (Blair, No year) Project team problems (Wilson, 1998) Problems among members of the development team greatly affect their performance. This can lead to not being able to meet the requirements of the project, thus, not beating the deadline. To avoid these, the team leader must be able to control and supervise his members so that conflicts will not be experienced among themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In today’s modern world, to deliver projects on time and making it sure that these projects meet the customers’ requirements and features, the management must hire workers who are good team players. A person who cannot work in a team will not be able accomplish any tasks given as a group. Good camaraderie should be as well fostered among team members so that a healthy environment is established and everybody can work freely. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Any organization, may it big or small, always aim for success in their field. With the aid of the current trends in Information Technology, so many applications can now be applied. One of these is the utilization of an Information System. The development of an Information System should follow the systematic way so that a very good outcome results.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Project Life Cycle has indeed plays a very important role in the development of an Information System. The different steps in the cycle, if being carried out properly, results to a project delivered even before the delivery date schedule. The success of any project also lies in the knowledge and expertise of the team leader in the software development team. The team leader, having possessed all the expertise in the field of software development and very good managerial skills, can really motivate his members to work hard for the success of the project.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The project delivered by the software development team is the Information System being utilized by large-scale organizations. This Information System has helped all transactions in various aspects of the organization in so many different ways. Information System, if being delivered on time, brings a lot of positive results to the management side. This can boost up the company’s morale, thus, making the company more competitive in the world market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Project Management is a very crucial task of a manager. Thus, having been equipped with the knowledge and expertise, the company can gain competitive advantage in the business field. Bibliography No Author. Reader’s Digest March 1996. Toil Smarter, Not Longer: 132. Savitch, Walter J. 1993. Turbo Pascal. Redwood City, CA: The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company Inc. The Standish Group. 1995. The Standish Group Report: CHAOS. http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:ueLBNWtVA7MJ:www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NCP08083B.pdf+chaos+standish+group+1995&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=ph (Accessed 23March2008). Free Management Library. 1997-2008. http://www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/project/project.htm (Accessed 24March2008) Foote, Kenneth E., & Crum, Shannon L. 2000. Project Planning and Life Cycle. http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/lifecycle/lifecycl_f.html (Accessed 24March2008) Alexandrou, Marios. 2006. Information Technology Blog: 10 Steps to a Successful Project. http://www.mariosalexandrou.com/blog/?p=162 (Accessed 24March2008) JamesDeanWaryk. 1999-2008. How to 12 Steps to a Successful Project, Company or Life. http://www.ehow.com/how_2062188_steps-successful-project-company-life.html (Accessed 24March2008) Wu, Jonathan. 2005. Characteristics of an Outstanding Business Intelligence Project Manager. http://www.dmreview.com/issues/20050501/1026063-1.html (Accessed 24March2008) Coley Consulting. 2001-2007. Project Failure-The six key reasons why projects fail. http://www.coleyconsulting.co.uk/failure.htm (Accessed 24March2008) Rosenfield, Eric. No year. Why do projects fail? http://www.adaptivepartners.com/projfailb.htm (Accessed 24March2008) Wilson, Sheila. 1998. Failed IT Projects. http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~meinkej/inss690/wilson.htm (Accessed 24March2008) Blair, Gerard M. No year. Project Planning. http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art8.html?http://oldeee.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art8.html (Accessed 24March2008)

Filinvest Company Background Essay

Filinvest Land, Inc. (FLI) is one of the leading real estate developers in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Filinvest Development Corporation (FDC), which has more than 40 years of experience in real estate development. Founded by Mr. Andrew L. Gotianun, Sr., FDC is the holding company of the Gotianun Family. Originally engaged in the small-scale financing of second hand cars in 1955, the Gotianun Family’s business later expanded into consumer finance in partnerships with foreign institutions such as Chase Manhattan Bank, Westinghouse Electric Corporation and Ford Philippines. By the early 1980’s, the Gotianun Family’s Filinvest Credit Corporation had become one of the leading consumer finance companies in the Philippines in terms of assets, and the â€Å"Filinvest† name had become well recognized in the Philippines. The Gotianun Family entered the real estate business in 1967 through the incorporation of Filinvest Realty Corporation, which engaged in the development of residential subdivisions. In 1984, the Gotianun Family consolidated their real estate interests in FDC after divesting their shares in two family-owned banks, Family Bank and Trust Company and the Insular Bank of Asia and America. By 1990, FDC expanded its products line to include the development and sale of low-cost and medium-cost housing units. FLI was incorporated on November 24, 1989 as Citation Homes, Inc. and changed its name to FLI on July 12, 1993. It began commercial operations in August 1993 after FDC spun off its MISSION AND VISSION The primary responsibility of Filinvest Land is to the people that inhabit the cities, communities, and homes it has created. Filinvest will continually contribute to the economic development of society and will function as a good corporate citizen. II.View point Based on the researcher’s opinion, Filinvest Alabang Incorporated is a well established enterprise in the Philippines. In fact, Filinvest Alabang Incorporated was ranked as high as number 5; Top Real Estate Companies in the Philippines. Although it’s a well established company here in the Philippines, still, they do encounter minor and major problems depending on the situation and due to some environmental factors. Since Real Estate is the main source of profit for the company, it is very important that the management will hire highly qualified employees who possess a quality that can help the company grow. And to make the employees perform better, the management should provide rewards that will help motivate the employees to function effectively and efficiently. Overview Although Filinvest Alabang, established a stable place in the market; it should be always equipped with â€Å"contingency plans† in case of crisis or if any problems will rise. And in this paper, the researchers will provide a concrete analysis of the problems of the said company, and might will provide solutions for the given problem. III.Time context Filinvest Alabang, Inc. (FAI) was incorporated on August 25, 1993 in connection with the development of Filinvest Corporate City (FCC) in Alabang, a joint venture with the government’s Public Estates Authority. FAI is 80% owned by FDC and 20% owned by FLI. FAI’s primary project is FCC, a 244-hectare mixed-use development project located at the southern end of Metro Manila and adjacent to the South Expressway in Alabang. FAI uses modern, ecological urban planning and design in developing FCC as an alternative to Metro Manila’s business districts. Since the start of its development in 1995, FCC has grown to become a major destination in southern Manila that services all segments of the population with a wide array of retail, office and residential developments. It is home to key anchors such as Insular Life, Asian Hospital and the fast-growing Northgate Cyberzone BPO hub. The second busiest transport terminal in Metro Manila is in the immediate vicinity, making FCC a major gateway for commuters going into and out of Metro Manila from the south. The extension of the Skyway elevated road to Alabang significantly enhances the value of FCC and further increase its attractiveness as the location of choice for offices and residential living in the South of Metro Manila IV. Statement of the problem MAIN PROBLEM: Relationship basis inside the corporation MAJOR PROBLEM: †¢Low recruitment process †¢Lack communication inside the industry MINOR PROBLEM: Relationship basis inside the corporation †¢Reward and benefits of the employees are small and little in hand †¢Salaries and wages are not accommodated well V.Statement of objective †¢To identify the cause of the slow recruitment process in Filinvest Alabang Inc. †¢To provide possible solutions for the slow recruitment process. †¢To analyze problems occurring inside the cooperation and providing solutions to patch-up the problems of employees regarding the delay of their salaries and having less rewards and incentives. †¢To provide solution for improvement of employees and worker’s skills regarding in handling customers service and maintaining good image of the industry. * Specific †¢To identify the different demands and problems of the employees inside the organization’ which they think is affecting their performance. That way, the firm will be able to provide any possible solution so to trim down those types of problems affecting the employee. The study will cover the common types of problems that employees encounters: Salary and Wages, working hours and relationship among other employees. * Measurable †¢The company could provide seminars once or twice a month to address all the concerns that i bothering the employee. That way, the manager will be able to point out what exactly is the problem within the organization. And by providing seminars for the employee, they will be able to know more how to interact with their co-employees. With this type of structure, most probably, the organization will be able to solve any ongoing long term problems within a year. * Attainable †¢The objectives of this study are indeed attainable as it will focus more on solving the problems of the employees. Although it will take some time to discuss, know and solve their problems, still it is very important for the part of the management to address all the employee concerns so that they will be able to function well. * Realistic †¢The plan is bound to be effective if it’s implemented, although it will take some time to execute it properly. * Time bound †¢The target audience of this study is mainly the employees of this organization. And this plan should be implemented for a year. VI.SWOT analysis Strength Filinvest Alabang Incorporated has been one of the leading Real Estate developers here in the Philippines. Boasting a total of 70 Billion assets and earning an all-time high of 20 Billion of sales the year 2011, this year, they aim to earn higher; 30 Billion of sales, so to provide Filipinos a chance to experience a dynamic living in a vibrant master planned city. What gives Filinvest Alabang Inc. an edge compared to other Real Estate developer? Simple, they bounded their project in a very good location, wherein the city is connected to 5 major road points; giving them maximum exposure to businessman, commuters and even prospect buyers. In terms of their recruitment routine, applicants undergo a series of observations, interviews and training so to identify if they are well qualified for the job and somehow has the ability to achieve the given job description. With this type of assessment, Filinvest Alabang Incorporated accepts highly qualified sellers to help the company achieve its target mark for this year, making sure that the ones they accept will be able to function really well. Weakness Given the amount of time that the recruitment process takes to finally hire employees, there is a possibility that they might miss out other highly qualified applicants due to the long process of interviews and series of training. Some applicants might lose their interest given the time that the training process eats. And due loss of interest of applicants, there’s a blink of probability that other Real Estate companies will snatch the chance of getting those type employees and definitely that gives Filinvest a slight margin of disadvantage. Opportunities With a well renowned name in the industry of Real Estate, that puts Filinvest Alabang Inc. in a good position as a top of mind priority for businessmen and job applicants. Knowing that selling real estate requires a huge workforce, evidently the corporation is in search of many inspiring job applicants who want to earn big money. And Filinvest Alabang give those kinds of opportunities to unemployed individuals who wants to make a living. They actually have a very flexible standard when they hire applicants, because they can’t throw away the fact that they need an individual with great talent, given that he/she wasn’t able to meet one of the required standards to be hired be swatted away. Threats Obviously, Filinvest ALabang Inc. is not only the renowned RealEstate developer here in the Philippines. Other top competitors Ayala Land and SMDC for example use different kind of strategies to lure prospect buyers to buy their luxurious properties and of course, they have a different style of training used to hone the skills of their employees. With the presence of other top real estate companies, that makes the stakes of hiring highly qualified employees divided among those corporations. VII.Alternative courses of action Detailed Background Check. ( Past Employment ) To make the process of recruitment shorter, the Human Resource management could use a background check with regards to the individual’s past employments (if available), whether he/she has background working on a sales team which will help clarify points if the individual is capable of being part of the Filinvest Alabang sales team. Putting a little bit of emphasis on the applicant’s background would help shorten the period of training knowing that he/she is capable of being a seller. That will definitely help cut the expenses that the company supply for training and seminars as part of the training program Experience Experience is definitely a plus when you apply for a job. And for Human Resource managers, an applicant with plenty of experience makes the job easier. Knowing that the individual is already knowledgeable of the job description and knows what are the functions of being a seller, those type of statistics may lead to fewer training and interviews. But the management definitely should not rest easier; they should conduct a detailed background check regarding the past performance of the applicant like consulting the previous company where he/she worked for about how he/she dealt with the stress of the job and etc. VIII.Recommendation †¢Conduct seminars for improvement of customer relationship and as well as the employee to employee relationship. †¢Conduct monthly meeting to be aware of the status of each organization of the corporation. †¢Get feedback from customer to distinguish the quality and satisfaction of service and products the Filinvest offers. IX.Action plan / time constraint The Human Resource management could make a proposal to be sent to the higher level management regarding the issue of slow recruitment process and suggest that they should focus more on analyzing and looking briefly at the individual’s experience by conducting background check so to lessen the time that the training and interviews are taking. That way, the recruitment process would somehow speed up, and in case they get better results, they should continue to do it or perhaps improve the system more. And in case that the strategy is not working out, they should try to evaluate on what seems to be out of sync and once they were able to point out the problem, they should be able to come up with good solutions to the problem. X.Conclusion The researcher recommends that the management of Filinvest Alabang Incorporated should speed up the process of hiring highly qualified employees without sacrificing their thoroughness in selecting the best among the job applicants. They could focus more on looking briefly at the resume of the employee and perhaps, they could perform through background check on the individual to ensure that they are qualified for the job. That way, they could cut the cost allotted for many sessions of trainings and undying interviews.

Disadvantages of Ethics in the Workplace

Essay: â€Å"What are advantages and disadvantages of business ethics?†Business Ethics Some commentators, such as Milton Friedman, believe that the â€Å"primary and only responsibility of business is to make money† while abiding by the law. Supporters of this point of view argue that companies' self-interested pursuit of profit benefits the whole of society. Profitable businesses clearly benefit shareholders, but other commentators, such as Edward Freeman, argue that businesses should also benefit other stakeholders. Stakeholders are people and groups with whom the business has a relationship. This includes shareholders, but extends out to include employees, their families, the community within which the business operates, customers and suppliers.Advantages and disadvantages of being an ethical businessAdvantages Business ethics offer companies a competitive advantage. Consumers learn to trust ethical brands and remain loyal to them, even during difficult periods. In 1982, Johnson & Johnson spent over $100 million dollars recalling Tylenol, its best-selling product, after someone tampered with bottles of the painkiller. The company followed its credo, a set of ethical organizational values, and the result was a boost in consumer confidence, despite the contamination scare. Society benefits from business ethics because ethical companies recognize their social responsibilities. Disadvantages of business ethics reduce a company's freedom to maximize its profit. For example, a multinational company may move its manufacturing facility to a developing country to reduce costs. Practices acceptable in that country, such as child labor, poor health and safety, poverty-level wages and coerced employment, will not be tolerated by an ethical company. Improvements in working conditions, such as a living wage and minimum health and safety standard,s reduce the level of cost-savings that the company generates. However, it could be argued that the restrictions on company freedom benefit wider society. People, Planet, Profit Companies increasingly recognize the need to commit to business ethics and measure their success by more than just profitability. This has led to the introduction of the triple bottom line, also known as â€Å"people, planet, profit.† Companies report on their financial, social and environmental performance. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index benchmarks companies who report their performance based on the triple bottom line. This type of performance reporting acknowledges that companies must make a profit to survive, but encourages ethical and sustainable business conduct. Purpose of ethical theory An ethical theory is to provide theory for people to value human beings through their behaviors, to access a person if he/she is ethical good or bad through his/her actions, like be honest, not to steal, not to kill, etc. Although there are basic moralities that every person follows in all places (Beauchamp & Bowie, 2004), in different background culture or different situations, people have different judgments about the actions. Ethical theory gives us a guide to choose the best option of actions in a certain situation which counts as most significant ethically. Ethical people are those who recognize the difference between right and wrong and consistently strive to set an example of good conduct. In a business setting, being ethical means applying principles of honesty and fairness to relationships with coworkers and customers. Ethical individuals make an effort to treat everyone with whom they come in contact as they would want to be treated themselves. Build Customer Loyalty Consumers may let a company take advantage of them once, but if they believe they have been treated unfairly, such as by being overcharged, they will not be repeat customers. Having a loyal customer base is one of the keys to long-range business success because serving an existing customer doesn’t involve marketing cost, as does acquiring a new one. A company’s reputation for ethical behavior can help it create a more positive image in the marketplace, which can bring in new customers through word-of-mouth referrals. Conversely, a reputation for unethical dealings hurts the company’s chances to obtain new customers, particularly in this age of social networking when dissatisfied customers can quickly disseminate information about the negative experience they had. Retain Good Employees Talented individuals at all levels of an organization want to be compensated fairly for their work and dedication. They want career advancement within the organization to be based on the quality of the work they do and not on favoritism. They want to be part of a company whose management team tells them the truth about what is going on, such as when layoffs or reorganizations are being contemplated. Companies who are fair and open in their dealings with employees have a better chance of retaining the most talented people. Employees who do not believe the compensation methodology is fair are often not as dedicated to their jobs as they could be. Positive Work Environment Employees have a responsibility to be ethical from the moment they have their first job interview. They must be honest about their capabilities and experience. Ethical employees are perceived as team players rather than as individuals just out for themselves. They develop positive relationships with coworkers. Their supervisors trust them with confidential information and they are often given more autonomy as a result. Employees who are caught in lies by their supervisors damage their chances of advancement within the organization and may risk being fired. An extreme case of poor ethics is employee theft. In some industries, this can cost the business a significant amount of money, such as restaurants whose employees steal food from the storage locker or freezer. Avoid Legal Problems At times, a company’s management may be tempted to cut corners in pursuit of profit, such as not fully complying with environmental regulations or labor laws, ignoring worker safety hazards or using substandard materials in their products. The penalties for being caught can be severe, including legal fees and fines or sanctions by governmental agencies. The resulting negative publicity can cause long-range damage to the company’s reputation that is even more costly than the legal fees or fines. Companies that maintain the highest ethical standards take the time to train every member of the organization about the conduct that is expected of them. Disadvantage: Polarization of Society Because it offers such an integral look into human nature, ethics — as a branch of philosophy — tends to create divisions among those of varying opinions. Within the United States, the reverberations of this effect are at the core of government policy. Two groups, such as Pro-Choice and Pro-Life, work from similar facts and land on different notions of what is ethically and morally â€Å"right. † These rifts within society may slow down legislation and other government progress. Advantage: Simplification One advantage of any firm ethical system is that when the time comes to make a decision, there is often an existing framework for making that decision. For example, if an ethical system decides that theft is wrong in all circumstances, then any person who firmly believes in that ethical system should be able to turn away ideas of stealing. This process can expedite decision-making in general, as it has often already answered questions that may arise. Disadvantage: Varied Theories and Constant Change Ethics, as a whole, is a branch of philosophy that many consider to be necessarily unfinished. As technology and culture changes, new ethical issues are always arising, such as ethics within distributing content online. Likewise, issues of â€Å"cultural relativism† can create various interpretations of similar issues simply through the specific traditions of any given culture. These problems, and others, cause ethics to be a field of tumultuous change with highly varied interpretation. Advantage: Building â€Å"Good† The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes that ethics â€Å"involves systematising, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong behaviour. † As such, the field is, by and large, dedicated to helping derive systems for understanding and improving human behaviour. As an end-result of finding and invoking a true ethical system, the world should evolve into a safer, friendlier and happier place. Benefits If we have an ethical behaviour in our career we can do so much good. Due to this our business grows very much. Because due to this a discipline is develop in us and then we can set a high slandered and high level in our business. Bellows there are some goals we can use for continuous development. Working without deadly mishap. Eliminating work related diseases. We can increase varieties in our business. Increasing benefits of removal for local Increasing the benefits of mining for local areas. increasing energy competence By working towards these goals, we hope to gain a competitive benefit. It is also help with its position on stock market. Many long terms sever, like pension funds that are run investments for millions of normal people in the foreign countries, think that to consider social and ethical issues is important for the company. Due to this the company puts in a stronger position. Ethical behaviour will help businesses to attain better height and is because it does what business should actually do and helps them in developing discipline, which will push, business work practise to a high level and set a high standard. It actually promotes teamwork among worker. And this is because there is great respect place in elementary issues in the work place. Ethical behaviour also build confidence that will translate to trust among worker and they are more motivated towards theirs tasks. Ethical behaviour is really becoming very important for all our society because in the end it contributing in our society. It is not only contributing to our society directly but also keep the trust of the society. At the work place people who face ethical matter are versatile. The ethical behaviour do contribute the organization in term of profit which is usually higher then the firm which are actually not operating ethically and are operating for their own interest. Business activities that meet the requirements of the law, but which are considered unfair by stakeholders can result in bad publicity. The best example is of a restaurant that pay minimum wage but keeps staff tips to boost profits is not breaking the law, however, run the risk of losing the goodwill of costumers.As I understand it, one of the best kept secrets in Congress is that many Congressional members have unpaid â€Å"personal† aides who, because they are unpaid, do not have to disclose their financial holdings like other paid staff do. I have no doubt that many, if not all, of the problems cited in this article are also happening with these â€Å"unpaid† staff members and that this is a source of a lot of Congressional problems with lack of management, inattention to majo r problems of the country, and so forth. This situation is a result of so-called campaign finance reform. We were better off when a few dozen large companies and big political contributors funneled money into the Congress, and they didn't have to grub money from tens of thousands of other smaller contributors. The cure of campaign finance reform is worse than the disease. But instead of loosening up on US companies to make it easier to deal with corruption, we should instead be encouraging others to do what we have done with our law. India is beginning to move in the direction of cracking down on corruption, and we seem to be moving away from it. And it's because of the corrupt ion in the Congressional staff that this is the case.This is a shoddy piece of reporting. Must be summertime. Even a cursory big-picture review of the topic would lead anyone to see that this is an issue faced by businesses and cultures around the world. The unambiguous trend is to stamp-out this kind of curruption. A one-word example: Siemens. The FCPA may have been 20 years before its' time, but it's merits have become abundantly clear to many, if not most. I say this as someone who has been involved in international business for many years. OK – so, the US Chamber of Commerce seems to have fallen into the mud in an effort to promote short-term profit to the exclusion of everything else. (Honestly, I'm disappointed by the Chamber's narrow-minded view). That said, I expect a reporter of Mr. Hilzenrath's pedigree to make a serious, professional effort to provide useful perspective on a complex and challenging issue.Bibliography:http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-ethical-behavior-business-21067.htmlhttp://www.studymode.com/essays/Business-Ethics-137790.htmlhttp://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-business-ethics-10414.htmlhttp://www.ehow.co.uk/info_8333081_advantages-disadvantages-ethics.htmlhttp://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/ethical-behavior.htmlhttp://www.ukessays.com/essays/philosophy/ethical-behaviour-in-a-business-environment-philosophy-essay.php

Remote-Robotic Surgery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Remote-Robotic Surgery - Essay Example Later few other robots were invented and used in the processes of surgeries. The first surgical robot that was approved by FDA was ROBODOC. The process of research and development still continues in the present times (Valero et al, 2011, pp.2-3). In the context of the technology, studies reveal that the use of surgical remote robots enables the need for lesser number of surgeons and medical professionals in the conduct of any surgery. Thus surgeries may be able to be performed from remote locations as well. Doctors will only need to learn to handle the arms of the robots through the computerized systems. This might also lower the costs of the surgeries. Moreover the technique provides with improved capability of precision and the patients are also less traumatized with this process (Bonsor & Strickland, 2012). Thus it can be said that remote-robotic surgeries have certain advantages over the conventional surgery methods. Patients may get attached to robots, the withdrawal of which might affect the patients. The feelings or emotions of the patients would not be able to be judged by the robots. The robots would not be able to handle a patient if he is angry and does not cooperate with the treatment or medication. When called by several users, the robots may not be able to decide on prioritizing the necessity of the calls (Lin, Abney & Bekey, 2012, pp.22-23). Thus it can be understood that a robot cannot be depended completely for the process of surgery or treatment. Being so, the use of robots in medical practice cannot be considered as morally and ethically correct. Considering the levels of patient satisfaction, the political influences reflect on the process of remote-robotic surgery getting more improved and accepted in the medical practices, with the advantages being focused (Gun Control, 2012). The legal issues include the cost of the robotic technology

Legal Issues in Sports Gambling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Legal Issues in Sports Gambling - Essay Example With the advent of increased online gambling activities, there had been confusion because a majority of laws applied to gambling in sports and other forms of bet taking were in use long before the internet came into widespread use and were at the discretion of states. Further, laws relating to cyberspace have been hard to craft while older laws are open to broad interpretations in this context. Bills’ seeking to create laws to regulate online gambling has mostly ended in failure. However, Illinois passed legislation which strictly bars advertising of online casinos in the state (Illinois Gambling Laws, 2012). In reference to the Gambling and Related Offences 2012 (US), section 28(1) one is said to commit gambling offence when, he or she makes a wager upon the result of a game. Brief history of sports gambling. Ever since, sporting activities started, people have had the urge to bet on the outcome. Nowhere else is gambling as widespread as in the United States. Thompson (2001), in his research identified the founding fathers of the United States as natural risk takers; therefore the attraction to take part in all forms of gambling was rather inherent. Humphrey (2012), in his research, stated that, in the initial days of United States, the colonists used to gamble on anything ranging from bare-knuckle brawls to cockfights and makeshift horse races.... Thompson (2001) confirmed many colorful characters and factors have played a role in the  growth  of sports gambling, but what is  obvious  is that sports gambling are here to stay despite efforts by various governments’ attempts to curtail its  growth. Sometime back, a sport betting was just a  negligible  part  in  human, social life, but nowadays it runs from the professional bettor, the middle class  family  to the common man on the street (Ziming  and Shaffer, 2009). The effect of this has been that professional bookmakers and gamblers have resulted to bribery of participants and other  uncouth  activities. Horse racing was the first sport which recorded  widespread  bet  activity  due to its increased popularity especially in the United Sates. During the initial years, this was a  game  for the upper class, but after the  end  of civil war, horse tracks appeared and dotted eastern landscapes attracting bettors from every econom ic sector in United States (Thompson, 2001). The peak of horse racing was in 1920s and  decline  began in 1930s. Currently, Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act 2006 (US) has  section  5363 and 5366 which has criminalized taking of money from bettors by online gaming website operators but excludes online betting on horse racing activities from its list of illegal gambling activities. However, these bets must be  legal  at the two ends of online connection (Humphrey, 2012). Formation of professional leagues, they diverted attention of gamblers and made a majority of them  abandon  horse race betting for other areas such as professional baseball. Use of  pool  cards’ became  common  especially in the urban areas of the East. These  pool  cards were similar to the present

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Art - Essay Example The social protest was unique to each of their respective countries. David’s Oath of the Horatii looks like a scene out of Roman history. Three young Romans swear allegiance to Rome and their family in this portrait. The crying women represent Horatii women that are either sister to the enemy or engaged to the enemy. The men act on their allegiance alone, while the women listen to their heart. This painting was completed several years before the French Revolution, but the painting was a protest of the politics of the time. Aristocrats were blindly following the French monarchy, but businessmen and the poor were acting on their hearts. Blind loyalty only leads to destruction, just like the soldiers and just like the French monarch. Hogarth’s Rake’s Progress is a series of eight paintings. The titles are The Heir, The Levee, The Orgy, The Arrest, The Marriage, The Gaming House, The Prison, and The Madhouse. Each one of these paintings tells a story about the heir. He takes his inheritance and squanders it away. Eventually the heir ends up in the asylum. The moral of the story is if a man does not work and earn their money it is not as valued. Inherited money is easily squandered. Once the heir was led astray with an abundance of money, his life went downhill due to the vices money can buy. If he would have earned his money, maybe he would not have so easily parted with it. The similarities between David’s Oath of the Horatii and Hogarth’s Rake’s Progress are the presence of classes and a message against the wealthy. A ruling class, lower class, military class, man class, and women class were present in both of these men’s works. While David might not have shown the classes side by side, or only a man and women class, the implied classes were present. Hogarth painted different classes and even contrasted them. For example, the madmen at the asylum and the woman dressed in high fashion showed the contrast