ICT Developments Ethical - Social and Legal Issues- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theICT Developments Ethical, Social and Legal Issues. Answer: Potential ethical, social, and legal issues resulting from ICT developments Ethical issues in ICT solutions revolve around internal and external factors of an organization. Developing and maintaining ethics becomes a challenge when ethical dilemma arises[1]. In the case study, the issue of informed consent raises questions whether both the internal and external participants are competent for the task, or not. It is also important to note whether their participation compromises data. Although the employees have the competence, they may have prior information of what the study seeks to find out. Therefore, the consent forms for employees and outsiders should differ. Informed consent is not coercion and the participant needs to be aware of their rights and the purpose of study. Both participants take part in the study voluntarily and the protection of personal details is important. Before any participant agrees to consent, they have a right to choose whether to participate or to stop taking part in the study. The website serves both employees and outsiders. The se are users targeted by the collaborative research[2]. Their participation brings out different aspects of usability and challenges. The website development team needs to capture whether employees can access portals effectively under a secure system. The fact that the company paid for the research does not warrant their forceful participation in the research. According to Australian Computer Society (ACS)[3] professionalism is important and workers should uphold public interest issues with utmost importance. Usability testing is important in knowledge development for the growth of the ICT sector. Professional conduct also enhances the quality of life for its users. Participating in the research is important. Taking part in the study is an important part of professional development. The researchers in the study also have a responsibility to maintain integrity and respect of their workers. Therefore, consent in this case upholds the public interest with utmost importance than professional expectations. Kevin Rudd and the language game displays the use of emotive language to apologize for unfairness and its superficial effects[4]. He uses alliteration as he starts his speech to remind the audience on the past mistreatment of the community. He also repeats the apology for the injustices citing the unfair policies and mistreatments. For some listeners to the speech, it may sound ironical to refer to Aborigines as being fellow Australians and he uses the phrase as a clich. His language is in the rhetoric when he refers to the Aborigines as the oldest continuing culture. His reference to the dark history of cultural discrimination as the stolen generation is a hyperbole indicating Australias blemished chapter. His apology sounds ironical because the laws and policies continue to oppress the community[5]. The personification of the past and suggestions that Australians embrace the future helps to shade light on the expected change. His suggestion of a country where people are fully recon ciled seems more of a dream than a reality because the truth is fare from the reality. This makes his speech to sound sarcastic. His dream of an Australian country where everyone has equal opportunities is an exaggeration, which is not literally true. However, it helps to shape the ideal. The idea is to show sincerity for the apology. It is an effort to try to convince the indigenous community who feel oppressed by the government. This persuasion tactic helps him to negotiate the governments position[5]. Procrastination is the postponement of important tasks, hoping to complete them later. It often affects learners and professionals[7]. For example, out of laziness, I have often left important tasks for smaller ones leading to a pile up of assignments. On the other hand, the Australian Indigenous case example shows how the government can make an apology for the past in the present in order to pave the way for tangible changes in the future[6]. Procrastination often seems skeptical and it may hinder progress but a resolve to avoid it shows commitment. Reflective Report Introduction The working environment is full of different stressful situations. Some people view stress as good for performance while others consider it detrimental to the human mind[9]. Having a clear definition of stress provides a guide on how to manage it. The American Psychological Association defines stress as an uncomfortable overwhelming situation that weighs down a person[10]. This emotional burn down could come from a number of factors. Working in ICT involves a lot of multitasking which calls for a balanced approach to performance. Stress management is important because it helps individuals to cope at work and away from the office. Personal experience, learning and self-reflection In my experience working in the systems management department, I realized that sometimes projects take longer than expected. This means extended working hours, which often lead to an emotional burn down. When this happens, I easily get angry and direct the frustration to other technology professionals. Family and friends also face the wrath and it portraying a professional image becomes difficult[11]. One particularly stressful event was when we were trying to set up a website for a company unsuccessfully. Three times the client kept sending the website asking for changes on its contents. Just when we thought we were done, he cancelled the project citing delayed work. This was unfair because he was the one who made the unspecified changes. Learning about ethics has given me different perspectives on professional life. Sometimes acting professionally calls for the suppression of personal values in order to serve people. Acting as a professional means that the customer is right most of the time. Since we deal with all kinds of clients and some of them are unbearable, I need to show kindness, honesty and trust all the time. Work ethics is about implementing codes of conduct. I realize that the ACS codes support the placement of public interest at the center of professionalism [3]. If I try to prove my competency, I will only be stressing myself. To avoid confrontational situations, it is wise to discuss company policy with the clients. It is good to remember that the customer has the freedom to make the purchasing decision[12]. As part of self- development, I have learnt to combine personal and professional values. It is evident that stress is unavoidable today and more people are finding solutions to cope with its effects[13]. The application of codes of ethics is one way to solve and avoid stress. Choosing to do the right thing is not easy because it is a win and lose situation. Following professional codes helps me to avoid ethical dilemma, which leads to feelings of guilt, self-blame and frustration. I choose to follow guidelines in codes of conduct without ignoring personal values[14]. In doing so, I learn that morality is relative and people get motivation from different things. In order to avoid legal tussles, it is better to uphold the law. Conclusion In conclusion, my future learning needs will be to dig deeper into stress management and ICT because innovation has advantages and disadvantages. People today have learnt to cope with technology and its changes[15]. However, I realized that every now and then, innovation that purports to solve modern day problems springs up. As a profession in the field of innovation, I feel there should be ways to help people cope with these changes. Professionals spend most of their time at work hence stress levels tend to be higher at work. An effective approach to performance and improvement in ICT organizations needs to consider stress management tactics for its employees[16]. Bibliography [1] L. Raftree, "Rethinking informed concent in digital development," ICT Works, 7 November 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.acs.org.au/content/dam/acs/rules-and-regulations/Code-of-Professional-Conduct_v2.1.pdf. [Accessed 30 August 2017]. [2] T. locke, N. Alcorn and J. O'Neil, "Ethical issues in Collaborative action research," Educational Action Research , vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 107-123, 2013. [3] ACS, "ACS Code of Profesional Conduct," Australian Computer Society, April 2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.acs.org.au/content/dam/acs/rules-and-regulations/Code-of-Professional-Conduct_v2.1.pdf. [Accessed 30 August 2017].[4] K. Rudd, "Apology to Australia's Indigeneous people's speech delivered in Australian Parliament," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Speech, 13 February 2008. [5] F. Brennan, "Reconciliation and the political virtue of apology," Religion and Ethics, 28 May 2012. [6] R. Lewicki, D. Saunders, J. Minton, J. Roy and N. Lewicki, Essentials of negotiation, Boston, MA: McGraw Hill/Irvin, 2011. [7] M. Clariana, C. Gotzens, D. Badia and R. Cladellas, "Procastination and cheating from secondary school to university," Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, vol. 10, no. 27, 2012. [8] A. D. Moses, "Off icial apologies, reconcilliation, and settler colonialism: Australian indigenous alterity and polictical agency," Citizenship Studies , vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 145-159, 2011. [9] ICT Academy, "Stress Management-Myth and Practices," LinkedIn, 3 July 2015. [10] APA, "Understanding Psychological Association," APA, 2017. [11] M. Roberts, "Professional ethics and the ACS Code," 2017. [Online]. Available: https://web.science.mq.edu.au/~mattr/courses/object_oriented_development_practices/7/notes.html. [Accessed 31 August 2017].[12] Ethical sales practices, "Ethical sales practices," Business Queensland, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/licensing-obligations/legal-obligations/ethical-selling/ethical-practices. [Accessed 31 August 2017].[13] M. Melnick, "20 scientifically Backed ways to destress right now," Huffington Post, 9 September 2013. [Online]. Available: https://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/l/m/B18_1.pdf. [Accessed 31 August 2017].[14] Internation al Stress Management Association, "ISMA Code of conduct," ISMA UK, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://isma.org.uk/join-isma/code-of-conduct. [Accessed 31 August 2017].[15] S. Haeflinger and C. Baden-Fuller, "Business Models and Technological Innovation," Long Range Planning, vol. 46, no. 6, pp. 419-426, 2013. [16] J. Shropshire and C. Kadlec, "I'm leaving the IT field: The impact of stress, job insecurity and burnout on IT professionals," INternational Journal of Information and Communication Technology Research, vol. 2, no. 1, 2012. [17] Science, "Professional ethics and the ACS Code," [Online]. Available: https://web.science.mq.edu.au/~mattr/courses/object_oriented_development_practices/7/notes.html. [Accessed 31 August 2017].

MBA Sample Essay - Important Accomplishments

One of my most important accomplishments occurred during my association with a restaurant chain, for which I served as director of real estate. As a relatively new corporation, this business realized that it could only grow by opening more outlets. I played a key role in helping it achieve that critical objective. I was responsible for opening nine additional stores (there were six when I joined the company), which brought company sales from just under $10 million to $27 million by the time I left.It was my assignment to find and lease appropriate sites for our new restaurants. This was a complicated process for a number of reasons. For one, due to construction restrictions and a brisk economy, there were very few buildings available in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. This created a landlords market, with high rents and conditions not generally conducive to restaurant expansion. In this environment, I had to be especially resourceful and aggressive in order to do my job. Then, on ce I found a location that met with top managements approval, I was in charge of negotiating the deal. Such deals are complex because one is negotiating not only with landlords and attorneys but also with space planners, contractors, the city, and the health department. In the case of spaces in regional malls, I often had to work with the in-house architect and construction supervisor, as well as with the owners design review committee. It was necessary to understand and comply with the requirements of all these various entities, although negotiation was always very much a part of the process. In my earlier experience, as a broker with a major real estate firm, I operated from a different position, representing a buyer or a seller. As real estate director for a corporation, I was suddenly an in-house principal, part of a corporate team, and it was essential that I take into account how the details of each deal would affect our business. The restaurant chain is a real estate-driven b usiness, so my work and accomplishments were particularly vital to the companys success during this crucial phase of its development.Another of my most important accomplishments was helping the homeless through my work for a foundation, of which I am a co-founder. This experience was remarkable because it afforded me the privilege of making a positive difference in the lives of others. The foundation achieves its goals in a number of ways. For example, for one local Family Living Center, we brought together builders and developers (who provided their services on a volunteer basis) to upgrade existing facilities, some of which were quite old and decrepit. I coordinated the work of construction teams doing the improvements. I would define the scope of the project and then assist the general contractor in subcontracting the work. I also had to go through the city permit process, which was quite unusual due to the fact that ours was a structure for the homeless.Also, for three consecuti ve years, I was the operations man for a major 10K Race for the Homeless, which I originated and which was designed to raise both money and the publics consciousness of this problem. Each year about six months of planning and work would be required to set up the event, which involved many elements. Among other activities, I had to coordinate all aspects of the race with the city, police, and fire departments, establish the course and have it certified, secure the cooperation of affected neighborhood groups, and set up a complex management structure (to recruit and train volunteers as well as handle a myriad of other details). During the three years I was involved, participation in the event increased threefold and the amount of funds raised increased fourfold.During a recent spring, I was presented with an opportunity to make a big difference in another persons life. At that time there was a six-car pileup on a highway in northern California. Heading north on the freeway just moment s after this accident occurred and when the road was still open, I found my attention riveted to one particular car—crushed like an accordion—that was on fire with its driver still inside. I quickly pulled to the side of the highway, parked my car, jumped out, and ran to the car on fire. Its occupant, a teenage boy, was in a state of shock. I attempted to calm him down and then, with the help of another motorist, I used a crowbar to open the cars door. I extricated the driver from the wreckage and carried him to the side of the road before his car became totally engulfed in flames. The boy suffered a broken leg and hip, but he survived. My act was heralded in the newspapers and recognized by a citation from the highway patrol and the county in which the event occurred, but this hardly equaled the feeling I received from having saved this boys life. Mine was a totally spontaneous and unpremeditated act, but I regard its consequence as one of my greatest accomplishments.

3 Essays - Motivation, Cognitive Biases, Articles, Locus Of Control

3 Essays - Motivation, Cognitive Biases, Articles, Locus Of Control Module 8: self-reflection assignment Student's name Institution affiliation Instructor's name Course Date of submission I answered about 25 questions, and 14 of them showed that I am temperamental. I express anger through remaining silent and having sleepless nights. Have found that keeping temper to myself have negatively affected my life , thus making me to have negative thoughts towards every situation I come across in my life . After thorough assessment I found that my moods could easily change any time am annoyed, this has been making me isolate myself from my friends. After assessing, my locus of control, have lost most of my friends due to my behaviors which they have found hard to cope with in my life. To mitigate the issue, I will be keeping myself busy with ot her activities when I am annoyed. I will also avoid engaging myself in activities that may negatively change my mood. Have also decided that I will be going away from the annoying site and rejecting the causes of anger immediately after they occur to stop thinking about them. This will ensure that I have peace of m ind and would be able to remember the past. I have also decided that will involve someone in my life who understands me better to avoid loneliness which has brought negative influence in my life. After conducting locus control tests, I found out that I subscribe to external locus control where external factors such as rewards and punishments control my behaviors as opposed to internal locus controls where I should innately regulate by behavior without relying on rewards and punishments. But this tendency of building on external factors for behavior alteration has affected me both positively and negatively. When I do something good, and people or the authority appreciates me, I am happy and likely to practice the same behavior in the future. Also, I like spending a huge part of my time with friends and relatives who appreciate and reward me. However, if the opposite happens, I am in great trouble. For instance, if I stay with people who discourage by behavior and punish me occasionally, I suffer psychological problems and feel at the wrong place , this makes me have negative thoughts about myself . This behavior of wanting to be appreciated every time I do some thing good in my life has brought negative influence in my life because most of the people around me are not always happy with my behaviors making me stay lonely most of the time . Every time I do something, and there is no reward my moods changes, making me feel unwanted in society. I always think that it's a must for people to appreciate my efforts. In my academics, this has caused me to lower my self-esteem because teachers do not reward my shots when I perform better in exams. This behavior has impacted my life negatively making friends to distance themselves from me. Having internal locus of control plays critical role in one's life. It helps in managing different situations in life despite their influence in life. The strength of internal locus is that such people are not discouraged by negative comments or lack of appreciation. Forces of internal locus of control also enable someone to take all responsibilities that may arise in life despite caring whether they have a negative or positive influence in their lives. They are too focused and put more efforts into anything they do in their lives to achieve desired results. Another significant strength about the internal locus of control is that people are not influenced by what others may think about them, so they are focused on changing their life and working towards achieving set goals in their lives. They are also more determined to take more action in their lives and improve any situation they come across in life. It plays a vital role in overcoming all setback one may face in life an d developing strategies to cope with life situations. Also, it ensures that people can learn from their past mistake and make changes where possible. The internal locus has some weakness that affects its performance to some extent. The flaw is that their production

How to Be Successful Managers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How to Be Successful Managers - Research Paper Example All in all, the successful managers should embrace the strategies that will make their company to have a health growth. Further, successful managers should make use of their employees to achieve the good that come from them (Mack 3). This research will explore the management in the hotel industry. First the research endeavors to collect tangible and first hand information from Richard Moore, a manager in Big Island Hotel in Hawaii. Second, the report will explore the job openings and trends in the in the hotel industries. Third, it will reveal the job prospects in the hotel industry, experience that is required, and the credentials that are needed to join hotel industry. The report will finally give my eligibility and concerns about working in this field. Hotel industry deals with offering accommodation to people who are far away from their residence. The industries offers food, shelter, and sleep to make sure all the needs of their clients are catered for. Some of the key players in this field include resorts, casinos, and private clubs (Barrows and Powers 4). It is therefore important to have good management in this industry for client full satisfaction. To gain a deeper understanding of management in the hotel, the report interviewed Richard Moore, the manager of Hawaii Big Island Hotel. This hotel is the best performing hotel in Hawaii. Because of the extremely customer friendly services it offers, Big Island has amassed many awards and recommendation from experts and their clients. Richard Moore gives the qualities that make an effective management in the Big Island Hotel. He reveals that a managers need to search the relevant information on the current prices in the hotel market. This helps to compare with the rates of other players in the market. According to Moore, there are different sources of information where one can get the details about the rates of competitors. These include local rates of corporate, their websites, and the group rates (Mack 16). Richard informs this research that the data is crucial in hotel management because it gives a rough estimate of what clients may be willing to pay. In addition, it helps the hotel manager in setting up of rates in a level that comfortably keeps hotels in operation. Richard goes ahead to state the two ways of setting the rates. The first method is reduction in the operating expenses. According to him, this method targets to maximize income of the hotel industry. The second method focuses on generating revenues. Richard asserts that to achieve maximum revenue collection, the manager should ensure classic accommodation of their clients. Moore alludes that managers should always strive to make a lot of gains and cut the expenses (PKF Hospitality Research). Richard Moore emphasizes that managing the hotels staff is the heart of success in hotel industry. Without a good relationship between the staff and the management team the hotel business heads to doom. Richard says that the managers should not only pay attention to market rates alone. There should be a well and close-knit relationship between the top management team and the subordinates. As a way of explanation, Moore insists that managers should always be physically available and accessible. He says that distinct factions are the cause of failures in most hotel industry. Moore asserts that learning about the subordinate names, their families,

Mechanical Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Mechanical Engineering - Essay Example The engineering discipline possesses characteristics such as flexibility, individuality, and breadth. In terms of career paths, the individuals determine which category of mechanical engineering they are to deal with or engage in. This is as a result of its breadth and wide boundaries. This is especially advantageous to the current changing society therefore one can satisfactorily decide which career path to follow and not moving out of the core career. Mechanical engineering is found on the basis of mathematics, design, mechanics, heat and energy, engineering sciences and manufacturing. The mechanics discipline of mechanical engineering includes fluids which may range from water to hypersonic gases and motion of particles. Engineers in this field are involved in research, manufacture, development, design and testing of machines, engines and other mechanical devices. They usually work on various devices in particular power producing devices like internal combustion engines, gas turbines, steam turbines, and electric generators. This is just but to mention a few. They are also involved in power consumption machines like air conditioning and refrigeration, material handling systems, escalators, robots to be used in the manufacturing industry, elevators and industrial production equipment. This field of engineering requires core skills and expertise in structural analysis, kinematics, thermodynamics, material science and mechanics. It is through the use of these core concepts that the mechanical engineers are able to achieve their objectives in work. The engineers use various tools like product life cycle management and computer aided tools for the design and analysis work of the heating and cooling systems, motor vehicles, robotics and medical among others. This engineering discipline emerged during the European industrial revolution in the 19th century however its development can be

The Idea Of Corporate Social Responsibility Marketing Essay

The Idea Of Corporate Social Responsibility Marketing Essay Nowadays, the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility is not new to the business industry. The society and corporations have been paying more and more attention on the initiatives of CSR, which is if a particular corporations business processes are producing an overall positive influence on society. In other words, CSR is defined as a firms sense of responsibility towards the environment and community in which it operates (Crane Matten, 2010). The increasing attention that paid to CSR has not been entirely voluntary. Many businesses only realised their CSR after being shocked by public responses to the issues they had not previously put in mind, and which were part of their business responsibilities (Porter Kramer, 2006). However, if companies could foreseen their CSR and react in advance, it would not only create competitive advantages for them, but it could also improve their brand images (Banerjee, 2008). Starbucks Corporation is a famous brand which sells coffee and has opened a massive number of stores all over the world. This essay will firstly focus on analysing Starbucks efforts of CSR, followed by identifying and discussing different stakeholder groups of Starbucks. Finally, whether the stakeholder analysis of Starbucks provides useful framework for the development and assessment of CSR will be discussed and a conclusion will be drawn. 2.0 Starbucks CSR efforts 2.1 Historical CSR efforts of Starbucks In 1992, Starbucks established the Starbucks Environmental Mission Statement, which committed that the company will positively contributed to the environment. Since then, Starbucks has been expanding their definition of their environmental responsibility within the context of their company growth and their business which has become more complex. Starbucks CSR report (2006) has included their several positive contribution to the environment. As Starbucks is concerned about the climate change will effect the quality of coffee beans, the company has been evolving and implementing an environmental strategy focused on the climate change. What is more, in 2006, Starbucks established a three-year climate change mitigation strategy. This strategy includes purchasing renewable energy, joining with other organisations to raise the awareness of climate change in order to save more energy together. At the same time, Starbucks introduced a new strategy for producing their cupts in order to reduce the negative impacts on environments. This strategy includes three main actions: a) by eliminating most double-cupping, 60 per cent of post-consumer recycled fiber; b) customers who use their own reusable cups are offered a $0.10 discount, this allowed Starbucks to save 674,000 pounds of paper from going to the landfill in 2006; c) Starbucks introduced the hot beverage paper cups which received a positive safety review from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. What is more, the company improved its environmental footprint by greening the store through design, operations and waste and recycling management. In recent years, apart from maintaining the established strategies, Starbucks have began to focus on other social responsibilities such as donations to charity or reducing tissue waste in stores. According to the Starbucks official website, the company pays a minimum of $1.26 per pound for Fair Trade certified ingredients in order to buy Fair Trade CertifiedTM coffee for the companys supply chain strategy (Businessgreen, 2010). Heath (2006) argued that even though firms are not entitled to solve all the worlds social issues, nor could they do so. Each individual firm can identify their own set of societal issues that it is able to solve. By doing so, the firm could gain the greatest competitive advantages. Moreover, Starbucks supply chain strategy has helped the company to gain the advantage of high-quality products, which also improved Starbucks brand image (Maloni Brown, 2006). Harnrungchalotorn and Phayonlerd (2005, p35) stated that: Starbucks has ran its business by driving Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a tool that covers the company in every sector of their business. Therefore, Starbucks have indeed identified their social responsibilities and have put much effort into the issues, and these efforts have been realised by the society. This is one of the reasons why Starbucks have created a such successful brand image (Thompson A rsel, 2004). 2.2 Stakeholder Groups of Starbucks Stakeholder theory is a organisational management and business ethics theory. It addresses values and morals in managing a business. Edward (1984) was the first author to detail this theory, and he identified the stakeholders groups of a corporation. Traditionally, the stockholders and shareholders are considered as the owners of the business, and their needs and interested were ought to be put in the first place. However, stakeholders theory suggests that apart from them, there are other parties need to be considered as well. These include political groups, trade unions, governmental bodies, trade associations, financiers, communities, suppliers, customers and employees. In some cases even the competitors are considered as stakeholders as well. In this section, the following three stakeholder groups of Starbucks will be analysed and discussed: customers, suppliers (farmers) and employees (Friedman, 1970). 2.2.1 Customers Nature of Interest and Power The customer stakeholder group is very important to all firms, because customers have the power of purchasing goods or services from firms. In other words, customers provide huge contribution to firms revenue and profits. Not only that, customers also have the power of boycotting firms who provide unsatisfactory goods and services, or whose company policies are unacceptable (Griseri and Seppala, 2010). All these apply to Starbucks. In order to make customers feel good about the Starbucks places and the coffee they drink, Starbucks have been aiming to provide long-term high quality coffee. Starbucks strategies to achieve sustaining coffee quality include sustainable trade and quality assurance and product recall. Starbucks always make sure that they purchased high-quality materials agriculture and manufactured goods, as well as their non-coffee products such as Cocoa, Tea, Bakery and Dairy etc. Starbucks also use high quality water to produce their drinks including Ethos water. The ap proach of quality assurance and product recall allows Starbucks to control their overall product quality and to reduce the amount of customer complains, hence to increase customers level of satisfactory. In fact, Starbucks have never stopped travelling worldwide to look for high-quality coffee beans in order to always provide coffee that has premium quality (Mystarbucksidea, 2010). In 2004, Starbucks established a guideline which is known as Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.), which is used to ensure the sustainable supply of high-quality coffee. What is more, Starbucks have considered other aspects to achieve higher customer loyalty (Findarticles, 2010). Customer loyalty can be obtained through high quality products, friendly workers, excellent customer services, good location of the stores that are easy to access, and comfortable environment in the stores (Crane and Matten, 2010). Starbucks have more than 16,000 stores in more than 60 different countries. Customers are able to fi nd a Starbucks store easily even they are in a foreign country. Workers are productive and friendly as they enjoy their work. What is more, Starbucks are designed to be a place for customers to relax, so the comfortable space in the stores have attracted many customers (Michelli, 2007). Therefore, Starbucks see customers as a very important group of stakeholder and as a famous brand name in the coffee industry, Starbucks have been able to raise the values that customers are interested in. 2.2.2 Suppliers (Farmers) Nature of Interest and Power Like customers, as one of the stakeholder groups, suppliers also have their own nature of power and interests. Suppliers have the power of selling same products to a firms competitors at a different rate. At the same, like customers, suppliers also have the same power of boycotting a firm and stopping providing a firms any materials, if they are unhappy about the firms policy and quality of products. Suppliers interests are to receive regular order of goods from a firm, and to be paid promptly for goods that they delivered (Scott Lane, 2000). For Starbucks, their main suppliers are farmers who have direct influence on Starbucks product quality. Starbucks always make sure that premium prices are paid to suppliers if coffee that are linked to premium quality is provided. The company also sees economic transparency as a very important approach for evaluating whether their suppliers or farmers receive equitable payment for their crops and other products. Starbucks have established stron g relationships and direct engagement with their suppliers and coffee farmers, which will keep Starbucks in touch with all the suppliers issues and progress (Starbucks Corporation, 2006). Farmers have access to credit and resources which are provided by Starbucks, this will help farmers to improve their products quality hence to strengthen their businesses as well as Starbucks business. What is more, Starbucks provide certification labels, including organic and Fair Trade CertifiedTM in order to achieve sustainable coffee farming. Therefore, the evidences show that Starbucks treat suppliers and farmers as another important stakeholder group, and have successfully raised the values they are interested in. Starbucks have achieved high loyalty of suppliers and farmers by providing on time payment, fair rates of payment and practice fair trade with them (Starbucks, 2010). 2.2.3 Employees Nature of Interest and Power The last group of stakeholders will be analysed is employees. Workers have the power union bargaining, work actions or strikes. As human capitals are very important assets to a company, their interests have to be considered carefully as well. Employees are looking for a firm that could provide stable employment and fair rate of pay for them. Also, employees want to work in a safe and comfortable environment (Friedman and Miles, 2006). According to Starbucks official webise: Starbucks believe every person deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, and is entitled to a fair, safe and humane work environment. This is deeply held value at Starbucks and one of our Guiding Principles. Our commitment to this value applies as much to our own workforce as it does to the workers employed by our suppliers (www.starbucks.com). Starbucks also take international labour standards and principles related to working conditions into consideration, including employees health and safety, minimum wa ge, freedom of association and security etc. As part of C.A.F.E. Practices, Starbucks developed a comprehensive system to verify the companys coffee suppliers compliance with international labour standards, including forced labour and child labour practices as well as other environmentally and socially responsible practices. Starbucks goal is to provide the best possible working environment for their employees in order to attracts and retains talented workers and make them love their jobs. Starbucks regularly collect surveys from employees to review their feeling and opinions, and to offer workers competitive benefits including international benefits. What is more, Starbucks often reward workers with excellent performances and recognise employees efforts. Training opportunities are regularly provided in order to give the workers more chance to improve. At Starbucks, workers rights are respected and workplace policies are always upheld. Finally, Starbucks always ensures employees are working in a safe and healthy work environment (Scribd, 2010). 3.0 Stakeholder Analysis and CSR Stakeholder theory is a way of clarifying and responding to the demand and expectations placed on companies, and this is why stakeholder management has been seen as something that companies can do to become more socially responsible. (Griseri and Seppala, 2010, p44). It is true that Starbucks have considered employees interests thus paid more attention to reducing child and forced workers; and customers demand of high-quality coffee have let Starbucks to consider the environmental issues and so on. Therefore, from this point of view, stakeholder analysis do help firms to further assess and develop their corporate social responsibility such as workers rights, environmental sustainability and obligations to the broader community. However, Griseri and Seppala (2010) also suggested that there is no clear relationship between stakeholder interest and CSR. This is because currently the stakeholder analysis does not offer ways to analyse stakeholders interests based on CSR principles, but b y taking wider range of values into considerations, stakeholder analysis should to some extent help firms to make better decisions (Scherer Palazzo, 2010). 4.0 Conclusion In conclusion, this essay has defined CSR and introduced Starbucks historical CSR efforts for environmental issues, climate change and broader community issues etc. These analysis have showed that as a famous and successful brand name, Starbucks have contributed much efforts to its obligated CSR. These efforts have been realised by the society and hence helped Starbucks to further strengthen its brand image. By carrying out stakeholder analysis, three different group of stakeholders were outlined in the essay, and their interests were discussed. Starbucks have concerned these stakeholders power and interests and have been reacting to their requirements and demands. The analyses showed that Starbucks have successfully improved the values that different stakeholders are interested in. Finally, the relationship between stakeholder analysis and CSR was discussed, which concluded that even though there is no clear relationship between them, but stakeholder analysis should allow firms make decisions with higher quality (Scherer Palazzo, 2010).

The Giver: Analysis of Jonas :: Free Essay Writer

The Giver: Analysis of Jonas On the surface, Jonas is like any other eleven-year-old boy living in his community. He seems more intelligent and perceptive than many of his peers, and he thinks more seriously than they do about life, worrying about his own future as well as his friend Asher’s. He enjoys learning and experiencing new things: he chooses to volunteer at a variety of different centers rather than focusing on one, because he enjoys the freedom of choice that volunteer hours provide. He also enjoys learning about and connecting with other people, and he craves more warmth and human contact than his society permits or encourages. The things that really set him apart from his peers—his unusual eyes, his ability to see things change in a way that he cannot explain—trouble him, but he does not let them bother him too much, since the community’s emphasis on politeness makes it easy for Jonas to conceal or ignore these little differences. Like any child in the community, Jonas is uncomfortable with the attention he receives when he is singled out as the new Receiver, preferring to blend in with his friends. Once Jonas begins his training with the Giver, however, the tendencies he showed in his earlier life—his sensitivity, his heightened perceptual powers, his kindness to and interest in people, his curiosity about new experiences, his honesty, and his high intelligence—make him extremely absorbed in the memories the Giver has to transmit. In turn, the memories, with their rich sensory and emotional experiences, enhance all of Jonas’s unusual qualities. Within a year of training, he becomes extremely sensitive to beauty, pleasure, and suffering, deeply loving toward his family and the Giver, and fiercely passionate about his new beliefs and feelings. Things about the community that used to be mildly perplexing or troubling are now intensely frustrating or depressing, and Jonas’s inherent concern for others and desire for justice makes him yearn to make changes in the community, both to awaken other people to the richness of life and to stop the casual cruelty that is practiced in the community. Jonas is also very determined, committing to a task fully when he believes in it and willing to risk his own life for the sake of the people he loves. Although as a result of his training Jonas possesses more wisdom than almost anyone else in his community, he is still very young and knows little about life in the community itself.