Teen Pregnancy Essay - 1121 Words

Daisy Tran Dr. Nadine Norland Academic Writing 5/6 11/20/2017 Teen Pregnancy The fearless of all parents who have teenagers is pregnancy. Nowadays, teen pregnancy is a serious problem. Teenage have a lack of skills to handle a pregnancy. So that impact strongly on the future of a young woman. Teen pregnancy is associated with negative consequences for adolescents for three reasons: lack of education, medical complication, uncertainty about the future, and financial difficulties. First, the main causes of teenage pregnancy are the lack of education on safe sex, whether it is from parents, schools, or otherwise. Many teenagers are not taught about methods of birth control and how to deal with peers who pressure them into having sex†¦show more content†¦A teen may feel she does not have enough knowledge to be a mother. She may also have fears about how having a baby will impact her own life and dreams for the future. Only 38 percent of teenage mothers ages 15-17 earn a high school diploma. By the age of 30, only 1.5 percent of women who had pregnancies as a teenager have a college degree. Moreover, one-third of children born to teenage mothers earn a high school diploma, compared to 81 percent of their children with older parents (â€Å"Teen Pregnancy Rates By State†). There are also physical health risk for the baby. Once their baby is born, teenagers may not be willing or able to give it the undivided attention it needs. A teen may not be an a dequate mother because she is overwhelmed by the constant needs of the baby. She may grow annoyed at the lack of freedom to interact with her peer group due to the baby. Children born to teenage mothers are more likely suffer health, social, and emotional problems than children born to older mothers. As a result, they are at risk for lower of education. The financial difficulty may arise during a teen pregnancy or after the baby is born. It is expensive to raise a baby. Teens who do not have full-time employment may struggle to cover the basic expenses of life upon having a baby. According to Stephen Nguyen, eighty percent of teen mothers must rely on welfare (â€Å"What percent of teenage mothers are on welfare?†). Teenage mothers are more likely drop outShow MoreRelatedTeen Pregnancy Essay2181 Words   |  9 PagesPregnancies are a wonderful thing. Just imagine being able to create another human being and bringing it into the world. Although this may be what the majority o f mothers think, teen moms may have a different perspective. They might have been forced into pregnancy and the child may be a reoccurring thought of what happened to her. Chances are the teen will love her baby in the long run, but in the beginning the teen most likely had different views. Teen pregnancy is a worldwide problem that needsRead MoreTeen Pregnancy Essay1019 Words   |  5 PagesTeen Pregnancy Nearly thirteen percent of all births in the United States were teenage girls from the ages fifteen to nineteen. Almost one million teenagers become pregnant each year and about 485,00 give birth. In many situations the answer to keeping a relationship going is to have a good sex life. Most teen relationships are based on sex. This is one of the main reasons why teenage birth rates are so high. I am a good person to make a case for this topic because I have witnessed from a familyRead MoreEssay on Teen Pregnancy1041 Words   |  5 PagesIt has been said that teens across the world have not been receiving enough sex education. This has led to many issues with teens becoming pregnant, which most of the time is unanticipated. Teenage pregnancy has been a social problem throughout the world for a number of decades now. Many studies have been completed in several countries that pertain to the amount of teens and the types of teens who are becoming pregnant. Rates among teens had bee n declining for some time, but are starting to takeRead MoreTeen Pregnancy Essay1364 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is teen pregnancy? Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in females under the age of 20. A female can become pregnant from sexual intercourse after she has begun to ovulate, which can be before her first menstrual period but usually occurs after the onset of her periods. There are many reasons why teens end up pregnant at such a young age. These reasons consist of family related problems, the lack of being taught about safe sex in school and by parents at homeRead MoreTeen Pregnancy Essay1426 Words   |  6 Pageswhat is going to help reduce the alarmingly high rate of teen pregnancies has not ceased. Many argue over whether abstinence-only should be taught in high school and if it is the key to reducing the high teen pregnancy rate. From my standpoint, I believe that it should be taught. However, it should be accompanied by the teachings of birth control along with other contraceptives and how to use them. The fact of the matter is that teen pregnancies continue to be a prevalent problem and teaching abstinenceRead MoreTeen Pregnancy Essay915 Words   |  4 PagesTeen Pregnancy Over the past two decades, the rates of teen pregnancy have grown dramatically. According to the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy, approximately every thirty-one seconds ateenager becomes pregnant in the United States. This is unbelievable, however that is the truth that no one can deny. Many people think that teen pregnancy dont effect them unless they get pregnant or one of the family members in teenage get pregnant. However teen pregnancy really affects our communities and countryRead More Teen Pregnancy Essay643 Words   |  3 Pagesdifficulties that come with an unplanned pregnancy in teens can have a profound effect on their life. Their physical, social, mental, and emotional health will all be affected by a sudden change in the course of their life. Teens impacted with an unplanned pregnancy will have to give up many things in order to be a parent. In addition, they will have to take on many more responsibilities that accompany pregnancy and parenthood. All in all, having an unplanned pregnancy and becoming a parent introduceRead MoreTeen Pregnancy Essay1314 Words   |  6 Pages(Hamilton, B.E.). That’s nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies every year. According to, â€Å"11 facts about teen pregnancy† less than 2% of teen moms earn a college degree by age 30 (Par. 2 5). There are many reasons for this and the best way to help limit teen pregnancy would be to require parents to attend teen pregnancy prevention meetings held by schools. One of the many problems is that most teens are not well informed about the troubles of being a teen parent. They don’t understand how it willRead MoreEssay On Teen Pregnancy1590 Words   |  7 PagesTeen Pregnancy Task 1 Teenage pregnancy has been around for thousands of years, and in the past was in fact an ideal among societies of past times, such as the Ancient Greeks, the Medieval Era, and even as late as the 20th century. Teenage women were thought to be at the prime age for baring children, and often as soon as they were married, fell pregnant. However, in this era, women have more opportunities to go further and reach higher in life, they have the chance to be successful, and to rivalRead More Teen Pregnancy Essay710 Words   |  3 PagesPrevent Teen Pregnancy nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; After reading Martha Balash’s article, Schools Can Help to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Balash has put time and effort into this proposal on stopping Teen Pregnancy. I think Balash’s introduction is very effective because she goes straight to the facts. She doesn’t try to mislead you with any false facts. She goes straight to the point and the point is to prevent teen pregnancy. Balash tells that schools has more influence over teen pregnancy than what

American Peoples Privacy Is Being Spied on by the NSA and...

The American people privacy is violated by the NSA. Everyday person today in the USA uses technology to communicate and pleasure use: e-mail, texting, social networks, calling, blogs, forums, instant messaging, Internet and using search engines. The American people personal computer or electronic information is spied on and collect by the NSA this is wrong this is violating the fourth amendment. Who is spying and collecting personal electronic information from American people by the National Security Agency known as NSA. They are looking for criminal or terrorist activities while using electronic communication but there really looking into people’s personal information who is not terrorists or criminal’s just citizens. NSA started†¦show more content†¦Armed Forces Security Agency established under the authority of the Department of Defense on May 20, 1949. National Security Agency was established by the executive order under President Harry S. Truman. Not until 1957 NSA confirmed by the federal government. â€Å"The NSA is regulated by federal law, the executive branch, the Constitution, and the Department of Defense.† â€Å"An oversight procedure is in place to guarantee NSA compliance with various rules and regulations.† (National Security Agency). NSA had three top-secret programs that were kept away from them public from knowing. Until Edward Snowden has leaked the three programs are: phone records, PRISM, and boundless informant according to USA Today. What is phone records? They are Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to convince Verizon to turn over phone records to the NSA. The telephone records are metadata of phone calls the telephone number duration and the location of the calls. The command does not authorize eavesdropping (â€Å"Three secret programs no longer secret†). What is PRISM? A secret program that advance direct access to the servers of Internet providers like Yahoo, Google, Apple and Facebook (Three secret programs no longer secret). Why PRISM NSA program was was created? PRISMS happen in 2007 when the Protect America Act of 2007. According to Verge this led to the creation of a secret NSA program called US-984XN known as PRISM. The program said to be aShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Documentary Citizenfour An Hbo Documentary, Directed By Laura Poitras1109 Words   |  5 PagesThe fear of the invasion of privacy has been among the American population, ever since rumors of government spying after the events of 9/11. The NSA or National Security Agency denied accusations of spying on Americans for years. It was’t until 2013 when ex-NSA worker, Edward Snowden, released secret information entailing the real activities of the NSA, involving access to virtually any American’s private life. In Citizenfour, an HBO documentary, directed by Laura Poitras, Edward Snowden contactsRead MoreMonitoring And Collection Of Phone Data1521 Words   |  7 Pageshas arisen about the monitoring and collection of phone data. It is a matter of privacy versus security; in order for the country to be more secure against terrorism, the public must give up some privacy in the form of phone data. Phone data should only be collected when it comes to serious threats to national security using a warrant provided by the judicial system to collect a specific person’s or group of people’s phone data. 9/11 was the largest attack ever on U.S. soil and prompted a governmentRead MoreEdward Snowden: Hero or Traitor?1053 Words   |  5 PagesAfter September 11th, Americans looked to the government for protection and reassurance. However, they did not expect to find out thirteen years later that the government did this by using technology to spy on Americans, as well as other countries. George W. Bush began the policy shortly after the terrorist attack and Barack Obama continued it. There have been many confrontations over the years about the extent of the N.S.A.’s spying; however, the most recent whistle-blower, Edward Snowden, leakedRead MoreThe Articles Of The Constitution1944 Words   |  8 Pagesof amendments, with the 1st, 4th, and 5th Amendments being most important and controversial when having to do with Government Surveillance. The first amendment is known as the â€Å"Freedom of Religion, Speech and the Press; Rights of Assembly and Petition,† taken directly f rom the constitution. This amendment gives individuals the right to express themselves as Americans without any government interference. This also gives the ability for Americans to petition the government to seek change. The fourthRead MoreViolation Of Twelfth Amendment Throughout The Digital Age2625 Words   |  11 PagesTitle: Violation of 4th Amendment in the digital age. Intro: Imagine being watched at every hour, every minute, every second, of the day, WITHOUT consent. Not just you, but your wife or husband, your children, nieces, nephews, and for some grandchildren. One of the many things that Americans value and are proud to defend with their very lives, is having the right to have rights. Now when those same rights then become endangered, the last thing a person would think is that the same people who makeRead MoreLegal Ethics ( Lgls445 )4088 Words   |  17 Pagescontract when he spied on his employer and aired the dirty linen of the company in the public. That is open to debate whether there is any justification for the employees to keep to themselves any information that they find questionable about the activities of the employer. On the contrary, the proponents of Snowden’s actions are adamant, in that it was a bold step towards the rationalization of the world. They argue that it serves excellent course to defend the world as oppose d to being driven by individual

Ethical Decision Making and Behavior Free Essays

string(20) " stake in an event\." 7 Ethical Decision Making and Behavior As we practice resolving dilemmas we find ethics to be less a goal than a pathway, less a destination than a trip, less an inoculation than a process. —Ethicist Rushworth Kidder WHAT’S AHEAD This chapter surveys the components of ethical behavior—moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation, and moral character—and introduces systematic approaches to ethical problem solving. We’ll take a look at four decision-making formats: Kidder’s ethical checkpoints, the SAD formula, Nash’s 12 questions, and the case study method. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Decision Making and Behavior or any similar topic only for you Order Now After presenting each approach, I’ll discuss its relative advantages and disadvantages. U nderstanding how we make and follow through on ethical decisions is the first step to making better choices; taking a systematic approach is the second. We’ll explore both of these steps in this chapter. After examining the ethical decision-making process, we’ll see how guidelines or formats can guide our ethical deliberations. 235 236——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies Components of Moral Action There are a number of models of ethical decision making and action. For example, business ethics educators Charles Powers and David Vogel identify six factors or elements that underlie moral reasoning and behavior and that are particularly relevant in organizational settings. 1 The first is moral imagination, the recognition that even routine choices and relationships have an ethical dimension. The second is moral identification and ordering, which, as the name suggests, refers to the ability to identify important issues, determine priorities, and sort out competing values. The third factor is moral evaluation, or using analytical skills to evaluate options. The fourth element is tolerating moral disagreement and ambiguity, which arises when managers disagree about values and courses of action. The fifth is the ability to integrate managerial competence with moral competence. This integration involves anticipating possible ethical dilemmas, leading others in ethical decision making, and making sure any decision becomes part of an organization’s systems and procedures. The sixth and final element is a sense of moral obligation, which serves as a motivating force to engage in moral judgment and to implement decisions. James Rest of the University of Minnesota developed what may be the most widely used model of moral behavior. Rest built his four-component model by working backward. He started with the end product—moral action—and then determined the steps that produce such behavior. He concluded that ethical action is the result of four psychological subprocesses: (1) moral sensitivity (recognition), (2) moral judgment, (3) moral focus (motivation), and (4) moral character. Component 1: Moral Sensitivity (Recognition) Moral sensitivity (recognizing the presence of an ethical issue) is the first step in ethical decision making because we can’t solve a moral problem unless we first know that one exists. A great many moral failures stem from ethical insensitivity. The safety committee at Ford Motor decided not to fix the defective gas tank on the Pinto automobile (see Chapter 2) because members saw no problem with saving money rather than human lives. Wal-Mart was slow to respond to concerns raised by employees, labor groups, environmentalists, and others about wage violations, sexual discrimination, poor environmental practices, and other issues. 3 Many students, focused on finishing their degrees, see no problem with cheating. (You can test your ethical sensitivity by completing the â€Å"Self-Assessment: Moral Sensitivity Scenarios. †) According to Rest, problem recognition requires that we consider how our behavior affects others, identify possible courses of action, and determine the CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——237 consequences of each potential strategy. Empathy and perspective skills are essential to this component of moral action. If we understand how others might feel or react, we are more sensitive to potential negative effects of our choices and can better predict the likely outcomes of each option. A number of factors prevent us from recognizing ethical issues. We may not factor ethical considerations into our typical ways of thinking or mental models. We may be reluctant to use moral terminology (values, justice, right, wrong) to describe our decisions because we want to avoid controversy or believe that keeping silent will make us appear strong and capable. 5 We may even deceive ourselves into thinking that we are acting morally when we are clearly not, a process called ethical fading. The moral aspects of a decision fade into the background if we use euphemisms to disguise unethical behavior, numb our consciences throu gh repeated misbehavior, blame others, and claim that only we know the â€Å"truth. 6 Fortunately, we can take steps to enhance our ethical sensitivity (and the sensitivity of our fellow leaders and followers) by doing the following: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Active listening and role playing Imagining other perspectives Stepping back from a situation to determine whether it has moral implications Using moral terminology to discuss problems and issues Avoiding euphemisms Refusing to excuse misbehavior Accepting personal responsibility Practicing humility and openness to other points of view In addition to these steps, we can also increase ethical sensitivity by making an issue more salient. The greater the moral intensity of an issue, the more likely it is that decision makers will take note of it and respond ethically. 7 We can build moral intensity by doing the following: †¢ Illustrating that the situation can cause significant harm or benefit to many people (magnitude of consequences) †¢ Establishing that there is social consensus or agreement that a behavior is moral or immoral (e. g. legal or illegal, approved or forbidden by a professional association) †¢ Demonstrating probability of effect, that the act will happen and will cause harm or benefit †¢ Showing that the consequences will happen soon (temporal immediacy) †¢ Emphasizing social, psychological, physical, or psychological closeness (proximity) with those affected by our actions †¢ Proving that one person or a group will greatly suffer due to a decision (concentration of effect ) 238——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies Finally, paying attention to our emotions can be an important clue that we are faced with an ethical dilemma. Moral emotions are part of our makeup as humans. 8 These feelings are triggered even when we do not have a personal stake in an event. You read "Ethical Decision Making and Behavior" in category "Essay examples" For example, we may feel angry when reading about mistreatment of migrant workers or sympathy when we see a picture of a refugee living in a squalid camp. Moral emotions also encourage us to take action that benefits other people and society as a whole. We might write a letter protesting the poor working conditions of migrant laborers, for instance, or send money to a humanitarian organization working with displaced persons. Anger, disgust, and contempt are other-condemning emotions. They are elicited by unfairness, betrayal, immorality, cruelty, poor performance, and status differences. Anger can motivate us to redress injustices like racism, oppression, and poverty. Disgust encourages us to set up rewards and punishments to deter inappropriate behaviors. Contempt generally causes us to step back from others. Shame, embarrassment, and guilt are self-conscious emotions that encourage us to obey the rules and uphold the social order. These feelings are triggered when we violate norms and social conventions, present the wrong image to others, and fail to live up to moral guidelines. Shame and embarrassment can keep us from engaging in further damaging behavior and may drive us to withdraw from social contact. Guilt motivates us to help others and to treat them well. Sympathy and compassion are other-suffering emotions. They are elicited when we perceive suffering or sorrow in our fellow human beings. Such feelings encourage us to comfort, help, and alleviate the pain of others. Gratitude, awe, and elevation are other-praising (positive) emotions that open us up to new opportunities and relationships. They are prompted when someone has done something on our behalf, when we run across moral beauty (acts of charity, loyalty, and self-sacrifice, for example), and when we read or hear about moral exemplars (see Chapter 3). Gratitude motivates us to repay others; awe and elevation encourage us to become better persons and to take steps to help others. In sum, if we experience anger, disgust, guilt, sympathy, or other moral emotions, the chances are good that there is an ethical dimension to the situation that confronts us. We will need to look further to determine if this is indeed the case. CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——239 SELF-ASSESSMENT MORAL SENSITIVITY SCENARIOS Instructions Read each vignette and consider the following statement: There are very important ethical aspects to this situation. (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree) Then briefly explain your rating for each vignette in the space below it. For more information on the ethical issues raised by the scenarios, see Item 1 under â€Å"For Further Exploration, Challenge, and Self-Assessment. † Vignette 1 One of your most important customers, a medical clinic, called yesterday. The clinic had ordered a product 10 days ago (products are normally delivered within 7–10 days), but it had not arrived. Quickly, you traced the order to the shipping office. You asked the shipping clerk about the order, and she said, â€Å"I shipped it 2 days ago! † As you left the shipping office, you glanced at her desk and saw her shipping receipts. You could clearly see that the order was shipped this morning. You called the client back with the news that the product was on its way. As you talked with the client, you learned that the delay of the product had allowed the condition of some patients to worsen quite dramatically. ___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ V ignette 2 Last Monday, you were sitting at your desk examining a request that a customer had just faxed to you. The customer was proposing a project that would make a tremendous amount of money for your company but had an extremely demanding time schedule. Just as you were about to call the customer and accept the project, one of your employees, Phil, knocked on the door. He entered your office, politely placed a letter of resignation on your desk, and told you he was sorry, but in two weeks, he 240——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies would be moving to another state to be closer to his ailing parents. After he left, you thought about the proposed project and determined that even though Phil would be gone, you could still meet all of the customer’s deadlines. You called the customer and accepted the project. ___________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Vignette 3 Earlier today, a salesman who works in Iowa called you and told you about an experience he had last week. One of his customers placed a small order of about $1,500 worth of product from corporate headquarters. The home office immediately shipped the package through a freight company, and it arrived the next day at the freight company’s warehouse in Iowa. The salesman went to the warehouse just as it was closing and talked to one of the managers. The manager said that everyone had gone home for the day, but he assured him that the package would be delivered directly to his office the next day. The salesman knew that the customer did not need the materials for at least another 3 days, but he didn’t want to wait. He placed a $20 bill on the counter and asked the warehouse manager one last time if there was anything he could do. The manager found the paperwork, got the product from the back of the warehouse, and brought it out to the salesman. ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ SOURCE: Reynolds, S. J. (2006). Moral awareness and ethical predispositions: Investigating the role of individual differences in the recognition of moral issues. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 233–243. Published by the American Psychological Association. CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——241 Component 2: Moral Judgment Once an ethical problem is identified, decision makers select a course of action from the options generated in Component 1. In other words, they make judgments about what is the right or wrong thing to do in this situation. Moral judgment has generated more research than the other components of Rest’s model. Investigators have been particularly interested in cognitive moral development, the process by which people develop their moral reasoning abilities over time. Harvard psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg argued that individuals progress through a series of moral stages just as they do physical ones. 9 Each stage is more advanced than the one before. Not only do people engage in more complex reasoning as they progress up the stages, but they also become less self-centered and develop broader definitions of morality. Kohlberg identified three levels of moral development, each divided into two stages. Level I, preconventional thinking, is the most primitive and focuses on consequences. This form of moral reasoning is common among children who choose to obey to avoid punishment (Stage 1) or follow the rules in order to meet their interests (Stage 2). Stage 2 thinkers are interested in getting a fair deal: You help me, and I’ll help you. Conventional thinkers (Level II) look to others for guidance when deciding how to act. Stage 3 people want to live up to the expectations of those they respect, such as parents, siblings, and friends, and value concern for others and respect. Stage 4 individuals take a somewhat broader perspective, looking to society as a whole for direction. They believe in following rules at work, for example, and the law. Kohlberg found that most adults are Level II thinkers. Level III, postconceptual or principled reasoning, is the most advanced type of ethical thinking. Stage 5 people are guided by utilitarian principles. They are concerned for the needs of the entire group and want to make sure that rules and laws serve the greatest good for the greatest number. Stage 6 people operate according to internalized, universal principles such as justice, equality, and human dignity. These principles consistently guide their behavior and take precedence over the laws of any particular society. According to Kohlberg, fewer than 20% of American adults ever reach Stage 5, and almost no one reaches Stage 6. Critics take issue with both the philosophical foundation of Kohlberg’s model and its reliance on concrete stages of moral development. 0 They contend that Kohlberg based his postconventional stage on Rawls’s justice-asfairness theory and made deontological ethics superior to other ethical approaches. They note that the model applies more to societal issues than to individual ethical decisions. A great many psychologists challenge the notion 242——PART III. Ethical Standards and St rategies that people go through a rigid or â€Å"hard† series of moral stages, leaving one stage completely behind before moving to the next. They argue instead that a person can engage in many ways of thinking about a problem, regardless of age. Rest (who studied under Kohlberg), Darcia Narvaez, and their colleagues responded to the critics by replacing the hard stages with a staircase of developmental schemas. 11 Schemas are networks of knowledge organized around life events. We use schemas when encountering new situations or information. You are able to master information in new classes, for instance, by using strategies you developed in previous courses. According to this â€Å"neoKohlbergian† approach, decision makers develop more sophisticated moral schemas as they develop. The least sophisticated schema is based on personal interest. People at this level are concerned only with what they may gain or lose in an ethical dilemma. No consideration is given to the needs of broader society. Those who reason at the next level, the maintaining norms schema, believe they have a moral obligation to maintain social order. They are concerned with following rules and laws and making sure that regulations apply to everyone. These thinkers believe that there is a clear hierarchy with carefully defined roles (e. g. , bosses–subordinates, teachers–students, officers– enlisted personnel). The postconventional schema is the most advanced level of moral reasoning. Thinking at this level is not limited to one ethical approach, as Kohlberg argued, but encompasses many different philosophical traditions. Postconventional individuals believe that moral obligations are to be based on shared ideals, should not favor some people at the expense of others, and are open to scrutiny (testing and examination). Such thinkers reason like moral philosophers, looking behind societal norms to determine whether they serve moral purposes. Refer to â€Å"Leadership Ethics at the Movies: Michael Clayton† for an example of a leader who shifts to a higher level of moral reasoning. ) Rest developed the Defining Issues Test (DIT) to measure moral development. Subjects taking the DIT (and its successor, the DIT-2) respond to six ethical scenarios and then choose statements that best reflect the reasoning they used to come up with their choices. These statements, which correspond to the th ree levels of moral reasoning, are then scored. In the best-known dilemma, Heinz’s wife is dying of cancer and needs a drug he cannot afford to buy. He must decide whether to steal the drug to save her life. Hundreds of studies using the DIT reveal that moral reasoning generally increases with age and education. 12 Undergraduate and graduate students benefit from their educational experiences in general and ethical coursework in particular. When education stops, moral development stops. In addition, moral development is a universal concept, crossing cultural boundaries. CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——243 Principled leaders can boost the moral judgment of a group by encouraging members to adopt more sophisticated ethical schemas. 3 Models of cognitive development provide important insights into the process of ethical decision making. First, contextual variables play an important role in shaping ethical behavior. Most people look to others as well as to rules and regulations when making ethical determinations. They are more likely to make wise moral judgments if coworkers and supervisors encourage an d model ethical behavior. As leaders, we need to build ethical environments. (We’ll take a closer look at the formation of ethical groups and organizations in Chapters 8 and 9. ) Second, education fosters moral reasoning. Pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree can promote your moral development. As part of your education, focus as much attention as you can on ethics (i. e. , take ethics courses, discuss ethical issues in groups and classes, reflect on the ethical challenges you experience in internships). Third, a broader perspective is better. Consider the needs and viewpoints of others outside your immediate group or organization; determine what is good for the local area, the larger society, and the global community. Fourth, moral principles produce superior solutions. The best ethical thinkers base their choices on widely accepted ethical guidelines. Do the same by drawing on important ethical approaches such as utilitarianism, the categorical imperative, altruism, communitarianism, and justice-as-fairness theory. LEADERSHIP ETHICS AT THE MOVIES MICHAEL CLAYTON Key Cast Members: George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Sydney Pollack Synopsis: George Clooney stars as Michael Clayton, the â€Å"fixer† for a large New York City firm. Clayton takes care of any messes involving clients, like hit-andrun accidents and shoplifting charges. When the firm’s top litigator (played by Wilkinson) begins to work for the other side in a $3 billion lawsuit, Clayton must get him back on his medications and under control. Karen Crowder (Swinton) is chief counsel for the conglomerate being sued for manufacturing a toxic chemical. She decides to permanently silence both the rogue lawyer and Clayton. The fixer, whose life and reputation have been tarnished by a series of poor ethical and business choices, must now decide how to respond to illegal wiretapping and murder. Swinton won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her (Continued) 44——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies (Continued) performance as the ambitious attorney who decides that corporate survival takes precedence over human life. Rating: R for language, including sexual dialogue Themes: moral reasoning, the dark side of leadership, corruption, greed, character, deception Discussion Starters 1. What factors motivated Clayton to become a â€Å"fi xer† and the conglomerate’s chief counsel to protect her company at any cost? 2. Was it unethical for the law firm’s top litigator to begin to work for the plaintiffs? Why or why not? 3. What accounts for Clayton’s shift to a higher level of moral reasoning? Component 3: Moral Focus (Motivation) After concluding what course of action is best, decision makers must be focused (motivated to follow through) on their choices. Moral values often conflict with other significant values. For instance, an accounting supervisor who wants to blow the whistle on illegal accounting practices at her firm must balance her desire to do the right thing against her desire to keep her job, provide income for her family, and maintain relationships with her fellow workers. She will report the accounting abuses to outside authorities only if moral considerations take precedence over these competing priorities. Psychologists report that self-interest and hypocrisy undermine moral motivation. 14 Sometimes individuals genuinely want to do the right thing, but their integrity is â€Å"overpowered† when they discover that they will have to pay a personal cost for acting in an ethical manner. Others never intend to follow an ethical course of action but engage in moral hypocrisy instead. These decision makers â€Å"want to appear moral while, if possible, avoiding the cost of actually being moral. 15 In experimental settings, they say that assignments should be distributed fairly but then assign themselves the most desirable tasks while giving less desirable chores to others. Both self-interest and hypocrisy encourage leaders to set their moral principles aside. For example, corporate executives may declare that lower-level employees deserve higher wa ges. However, whether they really want to help workers or CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——245 just want to appear as if they do, these executives are not likely to pay employees more if it means that they will earn less as a result. Rewards play an important role in ethical follow-through. People are more likely to give ethical values top priority when rewarded through raises, promotions, public recognition, and other means for doing so. Conversely, moral motivation drops when the reward system reinforces unethical behavior. 16 Unfortunately, misplaced rewards are all too common, as in the case of electronics retailers who reward employees for selling expensive extended warranties on new products. Such warranties are generally a bad deal for consumers. Emotions also play a part in moral motivation. 7 As noted earlier, sympathy, disgust, guilt, and other moral emotions prompt us to take action. We can use their motivational force to help us punish wrongdoers, address injustice, provide assistance, and so on. Other researchers report that positive emotions such as joy and happiness make people more optimistic and more likely to live out their moral choices and to help others. Depression, on the other hand, lowers motivation, and jealousy, rage, and envy contribute to lying, revenge, stealing, and other antisocial behaviors. To increase your moral motivation and the moral motivation of followers, seek out and create ethically rewarding environments. Make sure the reward system of an organization supports ethical behavior before joining it as an employee or a volunteer. Try to reduce the costs of behaving morally by instituting policies and procedures that make it easier to report unethical behavior, combat discrimination, and so on. Work to align rewards with desired behavior in your current organization. Be concerned about how goals are reached. If all else fails, reward yourself. Take pride in following through on your choices and on living up to your self-image as a person of integrity. Tap into moral emotions while making a conscious effort to control negative feelings and to put yourself in a positive frame of mind. Component 4: Moral Character Executing the plan of action takes character. Moral agents have to overcome opposition, resist distractions, cope with fatigue, and develop tactics and strategies for reaching their goals. This helps explain why there is only a moderate correlation between moral judgment and moral behavior. Many times deciding does not lead to doing. The positive character traits described in Chapter 3 contribute to ethical follow-through. Courage helps leaders implement their plans despite the risks and costs of doing so while prudence helps them choose the best course of 246——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies action. Integrity encourages leaders to be true to themselves and their choices. Humility forces leaders to address limitations that might prevent them from taking action. Reverence promotes self-sacrifice. Optimism equips leaders to persist in the face of obstacles and difficulties. Compassion and justice focus the attention of leaders on the needs of others rather than on personal priorities. In addition to virtues, other personal characteristics contribute to moral action. 18 Those with a strong will, as well as confidence in themselves and their abilities, are more likely to persist. The same is true for those with an internal locus of control. Internally oriented people (internals) believe that they have control over their lives and can determine what happens to them. Externally oriented people (externals) believe that life events are beyond their control and are the product of fate or luck instead. Because they have personal responsibility for their actions, internals are more motivated to do what is right. Externals are more susceptible to situational pressures and therefore less likely to persist in ethical tasks. Successful implementation also requires competence. For instance, modifying the organizational reward system may entail researching, organizing, arguing, networking, and relationship-building skills. These skills are put to maximum use when actors have an in-depth understanding of the organizational context: important policies, the group’s history and culture, informal leaders, and so on. Following the character-building guidelines presented in Chapter 3 will go a long way to helping you build the virtues you need to put your moral choices into action. You may also want to look at your past performance to see why you succeeded or failed. Believe that you can have an impact. Otherwise, you are probably not going to carry through when obstacles surface. Develop your skills so that you can better put your moral choice into action and master the context in which you operate. Decision-Making Formats Decision-making guidelines or formats can help us make better ethical choices. Taking a systematic approach encourages teams and individuals to carefully define the problem, gather information, apply ethical standards and values, identify and evaluate alternative courses of action, and follow through on their choices. They’re also better equipped to defend their decisions. Four ethical decision-making formats are described in the pages to come. All four approaches are useful. You may want to use just one or a combination of all of them. The particular format you use is not as important as using a systematic approach to moral reasoning. You can practice these guidelines by applying them to Case Study 7. and the scenarios described at the end of the chapter. CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——247 You will probably find it difficult at first to follow a format. That’s because using a format takes a significant amount of effort, and we are used to making rapid judgments mentally when faced with ethical choices. 19 Without b eing conscious of the fact, we quickly invoke decision-making rules we have learned though experience, such as â€Å"it is always good to obey authority† or â€Å"always be as fair as possible. † Or we intuitively come to a rapid decision based on our emotions and cultural background. Often these quick responses are good ones. But not always. There may be times, for instance, when authority needs to be disobeyed or fairness must be set aside for compassion. Our intuitions are wrong when they are based on mistaken cultural beliefs. For example, many Americans used to immediately condemn interracial couples. As time passed, society recognized that this reaction was biased, unfounded, and unjust. I suggest that, when confronted with ethical dilemmas like those in Case Study 7. 1, you write down your initial reaction before using a format. Later compare your final decision to your immediate response. Your ultimate conclusion after following a series of steps may be the same as your first judgment. Or you might find that you come to a significantly different decision. In any case, you should be comfortable with your solution because your deliberations were informed both by your preconscious experiences, emotions, and intuitions as well as by your conscious reasoning. 20 CASE STUDY 7. 1 PARKING LOT SHOOTING Over the past year several employees of a national fast-food chain have been shot or injured when intervening in fights or crimes occurring in the restaurant’s parking lots. As a result, corporate headquarters drafted a new policy that forbids workers from leaving the building in such emergencies, instructing them instead to dial 911. Those who violate the policy will immediately be fired. Imagine that you are day-shift manager at one of the company’s locations where a shooting has occurred. You call 911 but notice that the victim, who is lying right outside the door, is bleeding profusely. No one else is stepping up to help the injured man. You have first-aid training and believe you can stabilize his condition before the ambulance arrives. The shooter has apparently fled the scene. Would you disobey company policy and help the shooting victim? 248——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies Kidder’s Ethical Checkpoints Ethicist Rushworth Kidder suggests that nine steps or checkpoints can help bring order to otherwise confusing ethical issues. 21 1. Recognize that there is a problem. This step is critically important because it forces us to acknowledge that there is an issue that deserves our attention and helps us separate moral questions from disagreements about manners and social conventions. For example, being late for a party may be bad manners and violate cultural expectations. However, this act does not translate into a moral problem involving right or wrong. On the other hand, deciding whether to accept a kickback from a supplier is an ethical dilemma. 2. Determine the actor. Once we’ve determined that there is an ethical issue, we then need to decide who is responsible for addressing the problem. I may be concerned that the owner of a local business treats his employees poorly. Nonetheless, unless I work for the company or buy its products, there is little I can do to address this situation. . Gather the relevant facts. Adequate, accurate, and current information is important for making effective decisions of all kinds, including ethical ones. Details do make a difference. In deciding whether it is just to suspend a student for fighting, for instance, a school principal will want to hear from teachers, classmates, and the offender to determine the seriousness of the offense, the student’s reason for fighting, and the outcome of the altercation. The administrator will probably be more lenient if this is the offender’s first offense and he was defending himself. 4. Test for right-versus-wrong issues. A choice is generally a poor one if it gives you a negative, gut-level reaction (the stench test), would make you uncomfortable if it appeared on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper (the frontpage test), or would violate the moral code of someone that you care a lot about (the Mom test). If your decision violates any of these criteria, you had better reconsider. 5. Test for right-versus-right values. Many ethical dilemmas pit two core values against each other. Determine whether two good or right values are in conflict with one another in this situation. Right-versus-right value clashes include the following: ? Truth telling versus loyalty to others and institutions. Telling the truth may threaten our allegiance to another person or to an organization, such as when leaders and followers are faced with the decision of whether to blow the whistle on organizational misbehavior (see Chapter 5). Kidder believes that truth versus loyalty is the most common type of conflict involving two deeply held values. CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——249 ? Personal needs versus the needs of the community. Our desire to serve our immediate group or ourselves can run counter to the needs of the larger group or community. ? Short-term benefits versus long-term negative consequences. Sometimes satisfying the immediate needs of the group (giving a hefty pay raise to employees, for example) can lead to long-term negative consequences (endangering the future of the business). ? Justice versus mercy. Being fair and even-handed may conflict with our desire to show love and compassion. 6. Apply the ethical standards and perspectives. Apply the ethical principle that is most relevant and useful to this specific issue. Is it communitarianism? Utilitarianism? Kant’s categorical imperative? A combination of perspectives? 7. Look for a third way. Sometimes seemingly irreconcilable values can be resolved through compromise or the development of a creative solution. Negotiators often seek a third way to bring competing factions together. Such was the case in the deliberations that produced the Camp David peace accord. Egypt demanded that Israel return land on the West Bank seized in the 1967 War. Israel resisted because it wanted a buffer zone to protect its security. The dispute was settled when Egypt pledged that it would not attack Israel again. Assured of safety, the Israelis agreed to return the territory to Egypt. 22 8. Make the decision. At some point we need to step up and make the decision. This seems a given (after all, the point of the whole process is to reach a conclusion). However, we may be mentally exhausted from wrestling with the problem, get caught up in the act of analysis, or lack the necessary courage to come to a decision. In Kidder’s words, At this point in the process, there’s little to do but decide. That requires moral courage—an attribute essential to leadership and one that, along with reason, distinguishes humanity most sharply from the animal world. Little wonder, then, that the exercise of ethical decision-making is often seen as the highest fulfillment of the human condition. 23 9. Revisit and reflect on the decision. Learn from your choices. Once you’ve moved on to other issues, stop and reflect. What lessons emerged from this case that you can apply to future decisions? What ethical issues did it raise? Balance Sheet Advantages (Pros) †¢ Is thorough †¢ Considers problem ownership 50——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies †¢ Emphasizes the importance of getting the facts straight †¢ Recognizes that dilemmas can involve right–right as well as right–wrong choices †¢ Encourages the search for creative solutions †¢ Sees ethical decision making as a learning process Weaknesses (Cons) †¢ It is not easy to determine who has the responsibility for solving a problem †¢ The facts are not always available, or there may not be enough time to gather them †¢ Decisions don’t always lead to action There is a lot to be said for Kidder’s approach to ethical decision making. For one thing, he seems to cover all the bases, beginning with defining the issue all the way through to learning from the situation after the dust has settled. He acknowledges that there are some problems that we can’t do much about and that we need to pay particular attention to gathering as much information as possible. The ethicist recognizes that some decisions involve deciding between two â€Å"goods† and leaves the door open for creative solutions. Making a choice can be an act of courage, as Kidder points out, and we can apply lessons learned in one dilemma to future problems. On the flip side, some of the strengths of Kidder’s model can also be seen as weaknesses. As we’ll see in Chapter 10, determining responsibility or ownership of a problem is getting harder in an increasingly interdependent world. Who is responsible for poor labor conditions in third-world countries, for instance? The manufacturer? The subcontractor? The store that sells the products made in sweatshops? Those who buy the items? Kidder also seems to assume that leaders will have the time to gather necessary information. Unfortunately, in situations like that described in Case Study 7. 1, time is in short supply. Finally, the model seems to equate deciding with doing. As we saw in our earlier discussion of moral action, we can decide on a course of action but not follow through. Kidder is right to say that making ethical choices takes courage. However, it takes even more courage to put the choice into effect. The SAD Formula Media ethicist Louis Alvin Day of Louisiana State University developed the SAD formula in order to build important elements of critical thinking into moral reasoning. Critical thinking is a rational approach to decision making CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——251 that emphasizes careful analysis and evaluation. It begins with an understanding of the subject to be evaluated; moves to identifying the issues, information, and assumptions surrounding the problem; and then concludes with evaluating alternatives and reaching a conclusion. 24 Each stage of the SAD formula—situation definition, analysis of the situation, decision—addresses a component of critical thinking. (See Box 7. 1. ) To demonstrate this model, I’ll use a conflict involving mandatory vaccinations of health care workers. 25 Situation Definition Health care professionals are at risk for contracting infectious diseases and spreading them to their patients. For that reason, the U. S. government determined that health care workers should be one of the first groups to receive flu vaccines such as the one designed to combat the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. Vaccination can reduce the likelihood of catching the flu by 70%–80% and is one of the best ways to prevent a pandemic. However, fewer than half of U. S. health workers get flu shots every year (rates are also low in Great Britain and Hong Kong). Medical personnel who fail to be vaccinated often do so for the same reasons as other Americans. They don’t like shots, it is not convenient to get them, they claim they seldom get sick, or they believe the vaccine makes them ill (though scientists deny that this happens). Health officials have tried a variety of strategies to increase the percentage of doctors and nurses receiving vaccinations, including promotional campaigns and prize drawings. However, these voluntary efforts have fallen short. Concerned about low participation rates, particularly in light of the danger posed by the swine flu, Hospital Corporation of America, MedStar Health (Maryland), Virginia Mason (Seattle, WA), BJC HealthCare (St. Louis, MO), and the state of New York began mandatory vaccination programs. A number of clinics and doctor’s offices followed suit. Employees were told they would lose their jobs if they did not get the vaccine. Exceptions were made for those likely to have an allergic reaction (eggs are used in the production of the shots) or those with religious objections. Some health care workers and their unions immediately protested the stricter vaccination policies, labeling such programs as intrusive violations of individual rights. Day says that the ethical question to be addressed should be as narrow as possible. In our example, we will seek to answer the following query: Are mandatory flu-vaccination policies for health care workers ethically justified? 252——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies BOX 7. 1 THE MORAL REASONING PROCESS Situation Definition Description of facts Identification of principles and values Statement of ethical issue or question Analysis Weighing of competing principles and values Consideration of external factors Examination of duties to various parties Discussion of applicable ethical theories Decision Rendering of moral agent’s decision Defense of that decision based on moral theory SOURCE: From Day. Ethics in Media Communications: Cases and Controversies, 5E. Copyright  © 2006 Wadsworth, a part of Cengage Learning, Inc. Reproduced by permission www. cengage. com/permissions. Analysis Evaluation of Values and Principles. Competing principles and values are clearly present in this situation. On the one side, medical administrators and public health officials put a high value on the responsibility of medical personnel to patients and argue that mandatory vaccinations will save lives, particularly those of vulnerable populations like the sick, those with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, the very young, and the elderly. In requiring mandatory vaccinations in New York, the state’s health commissioner asserted: â€Å"The rationale begins with health-care ethics, which is: The patient’s well-being comes ahead of the personal preferences of health-care workers. †26 (The commissioner later rescinded his edict when there was a shortage of the vaccine. ) The chief medical officer of MedStar Health said the decision to require vaccinations â€Å"is all about patient safety. † On the other side of the debate are individuals, employee unions, and groups CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——253 who put their priority on individual rights. They believe that making flu shots a condition of employment takes away the right to make personal medical decisions, and they have concerns about the safety of the vaccines despite the assurances of medical experts. Opponents also worry that mandatory programs will spread from the health care sector into other areas of society. Said a representative of an organization wanting to limit government expansion, â€Å"You start with health-care workers but then expand that umbrella to make it mandatory for everybody. It’s all part of an encroachment on our liberties. †27 External Factors. Some influenza strains, like H1N1, pose greater risks than other strains and spread more rapidly, making vaccinations even more important. Medical employees already have to be inoculated for other conditions like mumps, measles, and tuberculosis, and there haven’t been widespread protests about these requirements. In addition, medical personnel have to follow such mandatory safety procedures as washing their hands before surgery. Vaccinations appear to be a safety measure like hand washing. However, past inoculation programs have made some medical professionals skeptical about current efforts. Earlier vaccines did make recipients sore and could cause mild flu-like symptoms. The H1N1 vaccine seemed to be rushed into production, raising concerns that recipients were serving as â€Å"guinea pigs. † Nurses, doctors, and home health givers, like other Americans, are increasingly worried about substances they put in their bodies. Moral Duties or Loyalties. Professor Day borrows from theologian Ralph Potter for this part of his model. Potter believes we need to take into account important duties or loyalties when making ethical choices. 8 In this case, the following duties have to be kept in mind: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Loyalty to self (individual conscience) Loyalty to patients Loyalty to vulnerable populations Loyalty to fellow employees Loyalty to others in the same profession Loyalty to the public Medical officials seem primarily concerned for patients, vulnerable populations, and the larger community. Low vaccination rates threaten patients an d clients and help the virus spread. Health care workers who refuse flu shots also damage the credibility of the medical profession. Why should patients be vaccinated if their doctors and nurses don’t think it is safe 54——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies or necessary to do so? Vaccination objectors are more concerned for their individual rights and, in some cases, their personal safety. They seem to overlook their primary duty, which is to serve their patients. Yet not all appear to be acting out of selfish motives. Some resistors are concerned about setting a precedent that could reduce the rights of their fellow citizens in the years to come. Moral Theories. Each of the ethical perspectives outlined in Chapter 5 can be applied to this dilemma. From a utilitarian perspective, the benefit of protecting personal rights has to be weighed against the dangers of spreading the flu virus. However, the immediate benefits of slowing the virus also need to be weighed against the long-term costs—loss of individual rights and government intrusion. Based on Kant’s categorical imperative, we could ask if we would want everyone to be vaccinated (probably) or if we would want everyone to refuse to be vaccinated (probably not). However, employees who resist the mandatory shots should carry through on their decision regardless of the consequences, such as losing their jobs. Rawls’s theory could be applied to say that required vaccinations are justified because they protect the least advantaged members of society. Communitarianism also seems to support the mandatory vaccination position. Medical leaders put their emphasis on responsibility to patients, vulnerable groups, and the public. Objectors seem to emphasize individual rights rather than duties. Advocates of mandatory vaccinations have a stronger altruistic focus because such efforts are designed to reduce sickness and suffering. Opponents may argue, however, that they are demonstrating concern by protecting the rights of others. Decision Decisions often emerge out of careful definition and analysis of the problem. It may be clear which course of action is best after external constraints, principles, duties, and moral theories are identified and evaluated. In our example, mandatory flu vaccination programs for health care workers appear to be morally justified. Such programs put the needs of others first and reduce suffering and death. They seem consistent with other requirements placed on health care workers and support the patient-focused mission of the medical profession. Health care employees should prevent sickness, not spread it. This option also seems to be best supported by moral theory. Nonetheless, opponents of mandatory vaccination programs are right to point out that we should be cautious about requiring health CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——255 treatments. Just because mandatory influenza vaccinations are justified for health care workers does not mean that we should require all citizens to be vaccinated (that’s a different question for analysis) or force citizens into other medical treatments. Balance Sheet Advantages (Pros) †¢ Encourages orderly, systematic reasoning †¢ Incorporates situation definition, duties, and moral theories Disadvantages (Cons) †¢ Failure to reach consensus †¢ Limits creativity †¢ Ignores implementation The SAD formula does encourage careful reasoning by building in key elements of the critical thinking process. Following the formula keeps decision makers from reaching hasty decisions. Instead of jumping immediately to solutions, they must carefully identify elements of the situation, examine and evaluate ethical alternatives, and then reach a conclusion. Three elements of the SAD formula are particularly praiseworthy. First, the formula recognizes that the keys to solving a problem often lie in clearly identifying and describing it. Groups are far less likely to go astray when members clearly outline the question they are to answer. Second, Day’s formula highlights duties or loyalties. In the case of vaccinations, prioritizing loyalties is key to supporting or opposing mandatory vaccination programs. Third, the formula incorporates moral theories directly into the decisionmaking process. The strengths of the SAD model must be balanced against some troubling weaknesses. Day implies that a clear choice will emerge after the problem is defined and analyzed. Nevertheless, that may not always be the case. Even in our example, there is room for dispute. While it appears as if mandatory vaccinations are morally justified, those who put a high value on personal freedoms will likely remain unconvinced. They raise valid concerns about the long-term impact of such programs as well. Focusing on a narrowly defined question may exclude creative options and make it hard to apply principles from one decision to other settings. Finally, the formula leaves out the important implementation stage. 56——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies Nash’s 12 Questions Ethics consultant Laura Nash offers 12 questions that can help businesses and other groups identify the responsibilities involved in making moral choices. 29 She argues that discussions based on these queries can be useful even if the group doesn’t reach a conclusion. Managers who answer the questions surface ethical concerns that might otherwise remain hidden, identify common moral problems, clarify gaps between stated values and performance, and explore a variety of alternatives. 1. Have you defined the problem accurately? The ethical decision-making process begins with assembling the facts. Determine how many employees will be affected by layoffs, how much the cleanup of toxic materials will cost, or how many people have been injured by faulty products. Finding out the facts can help defuse the emotionalism of some issues (perhaps the damage is not as great as first feared). 2. How would you define the problem if you stood on the other side of the fence? Asking how others might feel forces self-examination. From a company’s point of view, expanding a local plant may make good sense by increasing production and efficiency. Government officials and neighbors might have an entirely different perspective. A larger plant means more workers clogging already overcrowded roads and contributing to urban sprawl. For example, considering the company’s point of view may impact the decision you reach in â€Å"Focus on Follower Ethics: Paying Back Microsoft† on page 258. 3. How did this situation occur in the first place? This question separates the symptoms from the disease. Lying, cheating customers, and strained labor relations are generally symptoms of deeper problems. Firing an employee for unethical behavior is a temporary solution. Probe to discover the underlying causes. For example, many dubious accounting practices are the result of pressure to produce high quarterly profits. 4. To whom and to what do you give your loyalties as a person or group and as a member of the organization? As we saw in Chapter 1, conflicts of loyalty are hard to sort through. However, wrestling with the problem of ultimate loyalty (Work group? Family? Self? Corporation? ) can clarify the values operating in an ethical dilemma. 5. What is your intention in making this decision? . How does this intention compare with the likely results? These questions probe both the group’s intentions and the likely products. Honorable motives CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——257 don’t guarantee positive results. Make sure that the outcomes reflect your motivations. 7. Whom could your decision or action injure? Too often groups consider poss ible injury only after being sued. Try, in advance, to determine harmful consequences. What will happen if customers ignore label warnings and spread your pesticide indiscriminately, for example? Will the guns you manufacture end up in the hands of urban gang members? Based on these determinations, you may decide to abandon your plans to make these items or revise the way they are marketed. 8. Can you engage the affected parties in a discussion of the problem before you make your decision? Talking to affected parties is one way to make sure that you understand how your actions will influence them. Few of us would want other people to decide what’s in our best interest. Yet we often push forward with projects that assume we know what’s in the best interests of others. 9. Are you confident that your position will be as valid over a long period of time as it seems now? Make sure that your choice will stand the test of time. What seem like compelling reasons for a decision may not seem so important months or years later. Consider the U. S. decision to invade Iraq, for instance. American intelligence experts and political leaders tied Saddam Hussein to terrorist groups and claimed that he was hiding weapons of mass destruction. After the invasion, no solid links between Iraqis and international terrorists or weapons of mass destruction were discovered. Our decision to wage this war doesn’t appear as justified now as it did in the months leading up to the conflict. 10. Could you disclose without qualm your decision or action to your boss, your CEO, the board of directors, your family, or society as a whole? No ethical decision is too trivial to escape the disclosure test. If you or your group would not want to disclose this action, then you’d better reevaluate your choice. 11. What is the symbolic potential of your action if understood? Misunderstood? What you intend may not be what the public perceives (see Questions 5 and 6). If your company is a notorious polluter, contributions to local arts groups may be seen as an attempt to divert attention from your firm’s poor environmental record, not as a generous civic gesture. 12. Under what conditions would you allow exceptions to your stand? Moral consistency is critical, but is there any basis for making an exception? Dorm rules might require that visiting hours end at midnight on weekdays. Yet, as a resident assistant, is there any time when you would be willing to overlook violations? During finals week? On the evening before classes start? When dorm residents and visitors are working on class projects? 258——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies Balance Sheet Advantages (Pros) †¢ Highlights the importance of gathering facts †¢ Encourages perspective taking †¢ Forecasts results and consequences over time Disadvantages (Cons) †¢ Is extremely time consuming †¢ May not always reach a conclusion †¢ Ignores implementation Like the ethical checkpoints, the 12 questions highlight the importance of problem identification and information gathering. They go a step further, however, by encouraging us to engage in perspective taking. We need to see the problem from the other party’s point of view, consider the possible injury we might cause, invite others to give us feedback, and consider how our actions will be perceived. We also need to envision results and take a longterm perspective, imagining how our decisions will stand the test of time. Stepping back can keep us from making choices we might regret later. For example, the decision to test nuclear weapons on U. S. soil without warning citizens may have seemed justified to officials waging the Cold War. However, now even the federal government admits that these tests were immoral. N W E FOCUS ON FOLLOWER ETHICS PAYING BACK MICROSOFT? S Software giant Microsoft made an embarrassing error when it engaged in the first widespread layoffs in the firm’s history. Company officials overpaid an average of $4,000–$5,000 to 25 out of the first 1,400 workers it furloughed. After discovering the error, the firm sent a letter asking for repayment from the 25 laid-off workers, requesting a check or money order and apologizing for the inconvenience. Contents of the letter soon appeared on the Internet and in the national media. Microsoft officials then backed off their attempts to get the money back. According to a company spokesperson, â€Å"This was a mistake on our part. We should have handled this situation in a more thoughtful manner. We are reaching out to those impacted to relay that we will not seek any payment from CHAPTER 7. Ethical Decision Making and Behavior——259 those individuals. †1 While Microsoft decided to drop the matter because of negative publicity, the fact remains that some employees received more than they were promised. Except for a clerical error, the company did nothing wrong and has a legal right to ask for restitution. One outplacement expert noted that just because Microsoft is a large company doesn’t mean it should have to automatically pay the cost for this mistake. â€Å"What if they’d put an extra three zeros on it? † he wondered. â€Å"Of course they’d expect to get it back. †2 If you were one of the laid-off workers overpaid by Microsoft, would you give the money back? Why or why not? Would your response be different if the amount of the overpayment was much bigger and the company much smaller? Notes 1. Microsoft will not seek overpaid severance. (2009, February 23). TECHWEB. 2. Microsoft will not seek overpaid severance. Sources Chan, S. P. 2009, May 6). Microsoft may not be done cutting jobs. The Seattle Times, p. A1. Microsoft will not seek overpaid severance. (2009, February 23). TECHWEB. I suspect that some groups will be frustrated by the amount of time it takes to answer the 12 questions. Not only is the model detailed, but discussing the problem wit h affected parties could take a series of meetings over a period of weeks and months. Complex issues such as determining who should clean up river pollution involve a variety of constituencies with very different agendas (government agencies, company representatives, citizens’ groups, conservation clubs). Some decision makers may also be put off by the model’s ambiguity. Nash admits that experts may define problems differently, that there may be exceptions to the decision, and that groups may use the procedure and never reach a conclusion. Finally, none of the questions use the ethical standards we identified in Chapter 5 or address the problem of implementing the choice once it is made. The Case Study Method The case study method is widely used for making medical diagnoses. At many hospitals, groups made up of doctors, nurses, and other staff members 260——PART III. Ethical Standards and Strategies eet regularly to talk about particularly troublesome cases. They may be unable to determine the exact nature of the illness or how to best treat a patient. Many of these deliberations involve ethical issues such as whether to keep a terminally ill person on life support or how to respond to patients who demand unnecessary tests and procedures. The group solicits a varie ty of viewpoints and gathers as much information as possible. Members engage in analogical reasoning, comparing the specifics of a particular case with similar cases by describing the patient, her illness, and relationships with her family. Instead of focusing on how universal principles and standards can be applied in this situation, hospital personnel are more concerned with the details of the case itself. Participants balance competing perspectives and values, reach tentative conclusions, and look for similarities between the current case and earlier ones. Medical ethicist and communication scholar David H. Smith argues that the case-based approach is a powerful technique because it is based on narrative or story. 30 When decision makers describe cases, they are telling stories. These narratives say as much about the storyteller as they do about the reality of the case. â€Å"Facts† are not objective truth but rather are reflections of what the narrator thinks is true and important. Stories knit these perceptions into a coherent whole. When discussing the fate of patients, it is not enough to know medical data. Hospital personnel need to learn about the patient’s history, the costs and benefits of various treatment options, and other factors such as the wishes of relatives and legal issu How to cite Ethical Decision Making and Behavior, Essay examples

Value and Importance of Information Technology- myassignmenthelp

Question: Write about theValue and Importance of Information Technology. Answer: Communication has revolutionized in many organizations through the use of informational technology starting from mobile phone technology to multiple information technology inventions. Every business in our daily lives is trying to utilize the use of information technology in its operations to help in efficient running of its activities. Information technology is applied by use of databases, spreadsheets, use of internet ,blogs and also emerging technologies. There are also strategies that will help in the selection of appropriate hardware and software of the computer to be able to meet the business needs. The ICT should also be used in an social and ethical manner to help in management of the small business. Information technology is also use in e-commerce, also used in ensuring security of technology and information. Information communication technology entails the assembly of networks including telephone and audio-visual through a given link system. Information technology is important to for sustainable development of organizations especially the travel agency sector since it entails communication. It has been established that agents use internet as one of the distribution channel to be able to access the globalmarket for their products. It through information technology by use of internet that they are able to penetrate new markets and segments and also, they can form alliances with other big partners. Information technology allows the use of systems that will help bring traffic in the business through appropriate intermediaries like tourists ( Inversini,2014). In addition, travelling agents use websites that have online booking of hotels and other services offered by the organization that satisfy the needs and expectations of the tourists. According to Al-Kassa, (2014) the usage of information technology is useful in helping an organization have a competitive advantage over competitors by offering good services and value to customers. It not only changes the business segment but also it brings efficiency and performance in the distribution channel and promotion of the business to the outside market. The traveling agencies who avoid the new technology lose a lot because they are not able to compete in the market environment. Lastly due to the adverse use of internet by the population world-wide many travel agencies have opted to use internet as one of the marketing and communication tool. Internet helps in the development of flexible products and services giving its advantages to the world. This shows the importance of information technology to distribution channels and helps in the reduction of costs and it is more flexible as travelers are able to use internet more conveniently. Use of IT also aims to inform potential consumers about services, products, and the destination of the business. The time spent on communication and agreement between the clients will be reduced due to fast internet speed. The services of the organization will be improved due to the responses got from the online queries and complaints.Good information technology is very essential for the success of small and medium enterprises especially in the travel agencies, (Standing,2015). Reference Lists Al-Kassab, J., Ouertani, Z. M., Schiuma, G., Neely, A. (2014). Information visualization to support management decisions.International Journal of Information Technology Decision Making,13(02), 407-428. Inversini, A., Masiero, L. (2014). Selling rooms online: the use of social media and online travel agents.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,26(2), 272-292. Standing, C., Tang-Taye, J. P., Boyer, M. (2014). The impact of the Internet in travel and tourism: A research review 20012010.Journal of Travel Tourism Marketing,31(1), 82-113. Xiang, Z., Magnini, V. P., Fesenmaier, D. R. (2015). Information technology and consumer behavior in travel and tourism: Insights from travel planning using the internet.Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,22, 244-249.

Poe, Edgar Allen The Masque Of The Red Death Essays -

Poe, Edgar Allen: The Masque of the Red Death Period C The Masque of the Red Death Poe uses heavy symbolism throughout the story to convey his underlying theme: the inevitability of death and the futility of trying to escape death. The prince's name, Prospero, generally denotes happiness and prosperity. The Prince possesses these characteristics yet is faced with a plague that he desperately attempting to avoid. This oxymoron is used to hint that this man of exuberance will soon be faced with tragedy. The fires in each of the suite rooms serve as a representation of death. Poe depicts them to be "a heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire that projected its rays through tinted glass?But in the western or black chamber, the effect of the firelight upon the dark hangings through the blood tinted panes was ghastly in the extreme, and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who enter it that there are few?bold enough to set foot within it". The description is meant to produce a mysterious atmosphere in the west in contrast to a propitious one in the east. This can relate to the pattern of the sun's movement. The sunrise in the east represents light and new life for the day. However, the sunset in the west means the end of a day and darkness. Poe uses the element of darkness as a visual representation of death. The black clock is also a symbolic element in Poe's story. "Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute hand made the circuit?it was observed that the giddiest turned pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation". The timepiece represents the rapid passing of time in life. Every time the clock strikes the hour, the musicians quit playing and all of the revelers momentarily cease their celebrating. It is as though each hour is "to be stricken" upon their brief and fleeting lives. To emphasize the brevity of life, the fleeting of life and time, and the nearness of death, Poe reminds the reader that between the striking of each hour, there elapses "three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies." The significance of the seventh room is apparent throughout the entire story. Black usually symbolizes death, and it tends to be used in connection with death. Furthermore, in describing the black d?cor of the room, the narrator says it is "shrouded" in velvet, shrouded being a term generally referring to death. In addition, the window panes are "scarlet-a deep blood color." The relationship between blood and death is an essential aspect because Poe wants the reader to have a visual image of the blood flowing down the walls as a form of death. This is an obvious reference to the "Red Death". When the masked "Red death" makes his appearance, he moves rapidly from the Eastern room (symbolic of the beginning of life) to the Western room (symbolic of the end of life). In addition, the black chamber furthers Poe's theme. The prince rushes "hurriedly through the six chambers", but as he approaches the unwanted "guest", his dagger stops, and he falls dead upon the black carpet. This signifies that death cannot be destroyed (or avoided) as Prospero tries to prevent his fate from occurring. It is a universal force against humankind that holds "illimitable domain over all". Significantly, the appearance of the "Red Death" at midnight is propitious and symbolic. This is the end of the day, and, by analogy, the end of life. The "unwanted" guest's costume additionally contains some meaning. The mask portrays the message that death is an event that cannot be predicted. It is undetectable; a matter disguised as a variety of things in which its victims are unable to escape from. Death is superior to all defying powers and can overcome anything, as it overcomes Prospero's "impenetrable" walls to claim his victims. Poe is highly successful in showing the importance of symbolism to visualize death. His creative meanings behind several objects in the story further his reinforce theme of death's inevitability.

Hurricane Katrina Survivor Journal Entry †Creative Writing

Hurricane Katrina Survivor Journal Entry – Creative Writing Free Online Research Papers Hurricane Katrina Survivor Journal Entry Creative Writing How does hurricane Katrina affect me personally? Katrina affects me in so many ways that words can not be described. It brought many devastated situation to my life. Like others, my family returned to our home under a damage condition. After the day I left to evacuate for hurricane Katrina, my life started to change from one way to another. Within one month I have traveled to 5 different cities. I started my journey out from New Orleans going to Houston then Lake Charles, from Lake Charles we traveled to Pensacola. Leaving Pensacola to go back to New Orleans in three days then from there we went to Houma and from Houma we went to Houston again, then we traveled from Houston to Austin within one week; after that we went back to Houma for two days then happily being back in New Orleans. During this long everlasting journey, my family and I faced many critical times. Can anyone imagine that within six nights we stayed at five different places? It seems hard to believe but it’s true. During these days, everyone in my family seems to be very worried and unhappy. Every time we turned on the news from our hotel room, everyone started to get quiet and have different thoughts running through our minds. One big concern to my parent was our house, not because it cost a lot but because that’s the only thing we accomplished within 7 years living in United States. No feelings can be worst than knowing everything you own is being taken away from you. Just thinking of the fact that the house may be flooded to the roof no one was on the mood of doing anything. One main similarity from people evacuated for hurricane Katrina is that no one suspected we would go for a one month trip. Therefore, I believed that every family I know of only packed for a 2 or 3 days trip. My family was no different; we only packed two outfits for everyone. I remembered every time we arrived at a new city we have to go find a Laundromat to wash our clothes. As days past by and things are still the same, I started to think of negative thoughts and begin to realize that my life may never be the same due to the fact that I have to attend new school and make new friends. I have never thought of the things I have until I loose it. For example, my friend, I never knew how important they are to me until I see other people with their friends and I have no friends. In conclusion, I feel very blessed for what I have today. Although I went through many tough times but compare to other people I think that my family and I are very lucky that we still have a place to live and a life to start over. Unlike other people who return home and see their house being wash away by water and have lost everything they own. After this enormous tragedy, I have seen myself in a different perspective. Research Papers on Hurricane Katrina Survivor Journal Entry - Creative WritingHip-Hop is ArtNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThe Spring and AutumnTrailblazing by Eric AndersonThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsCapital Punishment19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Essay

Origins of the cold war beginning in around 1920 Essay

Origins of the cold war beginning in around 1920 - Essay Example The fear of communism in America in 1920s imposed a great threat to USA because they had overthrown the Royal family in Russia in 1917 and murdered them. The communists were then blamed for several strikes that took place including the police of Boston as well as Steel and Coal workers. This article attempts to analyse the origin of the Cold War in 1920s. The Red Scare of the 1920s saw the headquarters of dissident and communist institutions raided without any warranty and numerous people were arrested but were never neither tried nor allowed to access counsel. The media stations were shut down, as some legal immigrants were deported and the judicial system turned a blind eye because the Americas national security was dominant. Interestingly the people whose homes were ransacked did not even have weapons as expected and only three guns were found yet the people could not question the legality of their arrests. It is undeniable that numerous of anarchists and communist were rounded up by Palmer with the help of local law enforcement officials (Murray 82-90). House and the senate debated over the bills that provided draconian sanctions for the people who uttered seditious statements and Palmer believed that responding to public clamour for antiradical action would help in his presidential ambition. A number of sweeping took place in dozens of cities for a very long time as well as smaller raids in different parts of the country. According to Murray many people were arrested and taken into custody without charges and held for long hours (82-90). The Republican district attorney was trying to upstage democratic attorney general even though Palmer got the credit of wholesale assaults on civil liberties rounded up numerous communists both. Barkey explains that the Justice Department agents and some local police got into homes and meeting places where they comprehensively arrested everybody they found in sight (136-137). Some men arrested in Detroit were imprisoned fo r three to six days in dark windowless, narrow corridors where they slept on bare stone floors, bullied by police, derived of food and were only allowed one toilet. The people were denied communication link with their relatives or attorneys and were charged for attending a dance, class or that they ate at the House of the Masses. The Boston Justice Department chained together detainees and matched them along the streets where they were harassed by the hecklings of Americans. There were similar events in Pittsburgh where congregated foreigners were driven away by trucks. Initially, Palmer’s actions were warmly received and the media reported different views such as â€Å"Fighting Quaker of the Cabinet† Uncle Sam’s Policeman, the Rooter out of Reds†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ a man who showed a quality of courage for practicing ideas and more other headlines that strongly supported palmer. Palmer presented lots of case against the Reds by asserting that communism was an alien criminal who put the nation into jeopardy. There were proposals that the US government should restrict immigration and supress extremists and that real Americans were not aliens as the anarchists (Murray 190-195). Barkey explains

Open Source Software Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Open Source Software - Article Example For example, Linux is a good example of open source software that is competing with Microsoft, Apple and other. But depending upon the person some people still think that it is a temporary fashion in software industry another, on the contrary, believes that changes caused by open source will be deep enough and will shape the software industry of the first decade of 21st century. Open source software plays an important role in today’s world. Many people, organization, government sector are benefited by the open source software and are working towards development and support of it. In this paper philosophy of open source, definitions, advantages and disadvantages of open source software, some background history and motivation for open source software, Licences, Copyright Law and Patents, Economics of Open Source Software and at last impact of open source technology will be discussed. What is Open Source Software? : One can not define the Open Source Software in few words, because of many categories and variants that exist for Open Source Software. But it is not complicated and the term ‘Open Source Software’ itself gives an idea about it. Now before giving a definition from various people about the Open Source Software, first look at what general people think about the Open Source Software. General Idea of Open Source Software: The term ‘Open Source’ in Open Source Software refers to user’s freedom of use, redistribution, etc. One can not assume that Open Source Software and Free Software are same things. It can be said clearly that open source software does not have to be gratis.  

Rewrite Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Rewrite - Essay Example Coming into contact with feces of an infected person is one way through which hepatitis A can be acquired or transmitted from one person to the other. Moreover, if a person fails to wash their hands appropriately after using bathroom, they can get infected (Gallagher 9); furthermore, hepatitis A can be transmitted to those individuals engaging in oral or anal sex especially with those that are infected as well as through blood transfusion, although this situation happens occasionally (Mushahwar 2). In addition, transmission of HAV though the consumption of contaminated food and water can be associated with increased outbreaks of this disease globally. Normally, the incubation period of hepatitis A is between 14 and 28 days (WHO), but everyone’s body responds to it differently and exhibit different symptoms of the disease. Some individuals may not show any sign at all but they are infected with this virus; for instance, individuals with subclinical hepatitis have neither sympto ms nor jaundice (Mushahwar 8). Moreover, signs and symptoms of Hepatitis B are more predominant in adults than in children since children have more mild reaction to Hepatitis A as opposed to adults. Symptoms of hepatitis A are jaundice, dark urine, extreme fatigue, vomiting, nausea, colored stool among others (Davis 3), but jaundice occurs in more than 70 % HAV infection cases (WHO). Hepatitis A virus has been known to be one of the oldest diseases affecting humankind, and it was discovered by Steven Feinstone in early 1990’s. The recommended diagnosis of hepatitis A is â€Å"testing the patients’ sera for the presence of certain anti-viral antibodies† (Mushahwar 1), whereby a positive test for anti-HAV is an indication that a person has been exposed to this virus before or is infected. Moreover, this virus can be diagnosed through determining HAV antibody in the feces (Mushahwar 9). Arguably, people who are susceptible to HAV infection are those that not vaccin ated against hepatitis A, travelers exploring places where the virus is endemic, men having sex with men, and people with chronic liver disease (WHO). Additionally, injecting drug users with unsterilized needles and medical personnel in hospitals are also at risk of HAV infection (Mushahwar 13). However, hepatitis A can be avoided by washing hands and engaging in safe sexual activities and by doing this, this endemic disease can be eradicated easily. In most cases, hepatitis is a treatable disease, but leads to death on rare occasion especially when diagnosed late or not treated (Gallagher 8). There are low infection rates the United States and other wealthy states since they are aware of proper hygiene (Gallagher 10); nevertheless, research shows that people aged five to forty are the most vulnerable to HAV infection. According to WHO, about 33, 288 people were infected in 1976, but when the vaccine was administered, this number reduced to seven, 653. This is a clear indication tha t the use of vaccine in preventing HAV is effective and can help in reducing this infection. Moreover, proper hygiene should be individual’s main concern since worldwide outbreaks and localized infections are very common in areas with poor sanitation. Some of the places that are at a higher risk of HAV infection are Africa, Southeast Asia, Middle East as well as some parts of South America. In these places, HAV infection is mainly spread through person-to-person contact by the fecal oral route,

Anahorish And Digging | Comparative Essay

Anahorish And Digging | Comparative Essay Anahorish and Digging are two poems written by acclaimed Irish poet, Seamus Heaney, from the 1972 anthology Wintering Out and the 1966 anthology Death of a Naturalist. Anahorish was the name of the school Heaney attended (the Anglicized version of the Irish word anachgeeor uisce meaning place of cold water), and focuses on Heaney going back to visit his old school, going back in time to make sense of the present, whereas Digging is about Heaney expressing his admiration of his forefathers, and how they dug for survival, whereas he uses his pen as opposed to their spades to dig into the past of his fellow Irish people. I have chosen to compare Anahorish with Digging as I feel that Digging shares many common traits with Anahorish such as the references to land, the reminiscing of the poet, the slow, reflective language, and yet they differ, particularly context-wise. Both poems share the key theme of reminiscing/looking back in time, and the earth, and can be analysed in terms of shari ng this key theme, as well as context and language. Both Digging and Anahorish employ the two themes of looking back in time, and the earth. This is immediately evident in both poems, where in Digging Heaney instantly describes how his fathers spade sinks into gravelly ground, whilst in Anahorish, land references are instantaneously made the first hill in the world where springs washed into the shiny grass and darkened cobbles in the bed of the lane. Cobbles in particular has a strong Irish cultural reference attached to it. We can now see that a direct comparison can be made between the two poems, as they both have a focus on the land, just in different contexts. In Digging, Heaney needs to vividly describe the land so he can transport the reader to what it was like for the potato diggers of Northern Ireland, and how harsh their conditions were; the intense description of how Heaney saw his fathers straining rump among the flowerbeds also conveys to the reader how clear this memory is to the poet, and how it must be imprinted in his mind. Excerpts from the poem such as how he rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep indicates to the reader how painful and laborious this work must have been; the adjective rooted, as well as being a typical Heaney-esque device in which the poet uses nouns as verbs, also has very negative connotations to it, being quite an emotive word as it expresses feelings of suffering and very hard work. In Anahorish, Heaney uses the land as a representation of what he remembers, using the landmarks he sees to inspire his memories of his old primary school, helping him to delve deep into his past so he can make sense of future. Andrew Green notes that the land, in Heaneys early poetry, represents many things, but always encapsulates a continuity of experience. Whether he is searching for personal meaning or attempting to locate a source and possible context for the troubles that plague his native Ireland, he finds his language and inspiration firmly rooted in the land. So integral is the part it plays in the verse of the early collection that we can see in the earth no mere means to end but an end in itself. To summarise Greens points, Heaney often uses the land as a source of inspiration, a method of evoking some of his past memories, helping him explore his past and assist in determining his present. Clearly, the land is of great importance to Heaney, which is expressed through to the reader. Both poems also explore Heaneys reminiscing. In Digging Heaney clearly goes back in time to remember his grandfather digging the land My grandfather cut more turf in a day than any other man on Toners bog. Once I carried him milk in a bottle corked sloppily with paper; in this context, Heaney recalls this moment to stress to the reader the strong ethics instilled in his grandfather (the excerpt goes on to say how his grandfather would have one drink of milk, then get straight back to digging). However, in Anahorish, Heaneys going back in time is of a much greater importance. He describes how the springs used to wash into the shiny grass; clearly, Heaney is trying to remember aspects of his school, in the hopes he can remember who he once was, and thus remember who he is again Heaney is using his history to find himself. It could be stated therefore, that a third theme in both poems is a loss of identity for Heaney in Digging he feels almost uncomfortable with himself for not diggin g like his forefathers, whereas in Anahorish the poet is unsure of who he is, taking measures such as visiting his old school when he was a childhood, and using the land to evoke early memories and rediscover himself; as stated in The Times Magazine article entitled The Poet, those links to whats gone before physical, psychological are the power behind much of his work. Clearly, the land has a direct link to his physical and psychological memories/psyche, and Heaney therefore uses the land to inspire his poetry and memories. So, even though both poems share the same themes, reminiscing and the earth are used in different contexts. Clearly, both Anahorish and Digging take place in different circumstances. For one, in Digging Heaney is using the poem as a way to almost hail the workmen of Northern Ireland, praising them for their patience and strong work ethic. Clearly, the living roots of the poem both become, for the reader, symbols of the poets memory (Andrew Green); indeed, the poem is essentially one long recollection of his forefathers living, and Heaney is using it to bring attention to the plight of the Irish workers. At the time of the poem, it can be assumed that there was a potato famine in Ireland, resulting in mass death by starvation, due to the fact that the potato was the food that the majority of the impoverished Irish survived on; its loss was devastating. In Anahorish, Heaney is presumably in a fragile state of mind, perhaps unsure of who he is, so he goes to Anahorish to see if he can stir up any memories, and hope that the site will help him find himself again. In both poems, the language is relatively slow and reflective. The vocabulary in Digging is descriptive, the poet clearly able to vividly recount his experiences watching his father dig the coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft against the inside knee was levered firmly; therefore we can clearly see that Heaney watching his father dig left a lasting impression on him. Therefore, the language shows how vivid Heaneys memories are. This is also evident in Anahorish where Heaney can remember the after-image of lamps swung through the yards on winter evenings. In Digging, Heaney notes how he once carried him milk in a bottle corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up to drink it, then fell to right away nicking and slicing neatly. The juxtaposing terms of sloppily and neatly in Digging reinforce how at this time in the poem, Heaney is a young boy, with his clumsy manner, whilst his grandfather is an experienced, concise man, who has been digging for many years. So in Digging, cont rast is used to emphasise Heaneys childlike immaturity when he was a boy, again, a clear allusion to the poems theme of reminiscing. In Anahorish, there is a clear contrast to break the light ice at wells and dunghills. It can be assumed that this conflict of ice and dunghill is meant to act as a break, a reminder to the reader that Heaney was looking back into time, and now has to return back to the present. Both poems also use onomatopoeia, Digging describing the squelch and slap of soggy peat and Anahorish noting how the springs washed into the shiny grass. These onomatopoeias are particularly important in helping create atmosphere, and involve the reader in Heaneys train of thought; onomatopoeic words partially close the gap between language and reality as said by Bernard Richards, who further notes that Seamus Heaney is a master of sound effects. An extended metaphor is also present in each poem. In Digging, the entire text is an extended metaphor for Heaney digging into the pa st using his poetry; the phrase Between my finger and my thumb the squat pen rests. Ill dig with it perfectly encapsulates this sentiment. Meanwhile, in Anahorish, the excerpt springs washed into the shiny grass is a metaphor for the passing of time, continuing on in the poem, as the whole point of visiting Anahorish was to arouse any memories which are too deep to stir though thought alone. Both poems are very similar, in which they both express the themes of reminiscing, the earth, and use a lot of the same linguistic techniques. However, in terms of context, the two poems differ substantially; Heaney clearly feels the same sentiments in both, a desire to use the Irish landscape to evoke deep memories, which he communicates to the reader so he can find himself. Development of Global Expansion Strategy: India to Britain Development of Global Expansion Strategy: India to Britain What started as an export house has today become a successful retail business presenting Indian textiles in a variety of natural fibers, and home products including furniture, lights and lamps, stationery, home accessories, pottery and cutlery. In 2004, food products range was launched and in 2006, FabIndia Sana, their authentic body care products range, was launched. Recently, it has also ventured into the jewellery segment. However, the major chunk of FabIndias product range is textile-based. The company has continued its focus mainly on the artisans and sources its products from over 40,000 craftsmen across India. With a strong foundation, the company has been successful in increasing its presence all over India. The concept, now a Harvard Business School case study, is simple. A fully-owned subsidiary of FabIndia, Artisans Micro Finance, a venture fund, facilitates the setting up of these companies, which are owned 49 per cent by the fund, 26 per cent by the artisans, 15 per cent by private investors and 10 per cent by the employees of the community-owned company. After a successful 50 years in India and after creating a niche market and millions of loyal customer base, company is going global. It is already present in 3 cities around the world. In this report we are going to look at the option of taking the company to one of the biggest economies of the work the Great Britain. We will study the market using the concepts of global marketing and try to analyze how successful venture it will be for FabIndia. The Porters five forces are used to study framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development. This reports also talks about what are the reasons for entering into UK. The study of Birmingham and Liverpool, as potential cities for initial setup of the FabIndia store and later expanding to other places as the demand rises. This report will give us the in depth of setting up the FabIndia operations in the UK. Introduction: The history of Indias freedom struggle is interwoven with the Charkha the unusual weapon, employed by Mahatma Gandhi to spread the message of Swadeshi. Gandhi gave the art of Khadi, a special status through this movement. Khadi simply means cotton, usually hand-spun. Khadi is Indian hand spun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, Polyester or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a Charkha. Khadis earliest avatar was fashioned some 5,000 years ago in India, the original home of cotton, hand spun and hand woven by crafts persons who in all likelihood followed the precise instructions on weaving, spinning and dyeing laid out in the Vedas. Khadi is part of Indian dressing from thousands of years and now is becoming one of the most sought out fabric in fashion industry. John Bissell worked as a buyer for the American departmental store, Macys. In 1958, under a program run by the Ford Foundation, he came to India to advise the Central Cottage Industries Corporation created by the Indian government, on showcasing Indian handlooms and handicrafts. His role was to advise on issues relating to marketing Indian handicrafts. Determined to showcase Indian handloom textiles, and providing equitable employment to traditional artisans, and sensing an entrepreneurial venture, Bissell established FabIndia in 1960. It was also to fuse the best aspects of East West collaboration. Initially, FabIndia started as a wholesale export company, concentrating on the export of upholstery fabrics. In 1999, on John Bissells death, his son William aged 32, formally took over as the Managing Director of FabIndia. The Companys domestic expansion had been spectacular after William took over. By 2001, FabIndia had six stores concentrated in the metro cities. By the end of 2004, these had increased to 20, and the company was seriously considering expanding its stores into the tier-II and tier-III, cities as well as overseas. By the end of 2010 FabIndia had 121 retail stores across India and in addition, stores in Dubai, Rome and Qatar. Company Philosophy: FabIndia is Indias largest private platform for products that are made from traditional techniques, skills and hand-based processes. FabIndia links over 40,000 craft based rural producers to modern urban markets, thereby creating a base for skilled, sustainable rural employment, and preserving Indias traditional handicrafts in the process. FabIndia promotes inclusive capitalism, through its unique COC (community owned companies) model. The COC model consists of companies, which act as value adding intermediaries, between rural producers and FabIndia. These are owned, as the name suggests, by the communities they operate from; a minimum 26% shareholding of these companies is that of craft persons. FabIndias products are natural, craft based, contemporary, and affordable. The essentials of FabIndias new business model are simple. Bissell first created Artisans Microfinance (AMFL), an investment company, which identified and helped fund 17 community-owned firms that FabIndia calls supplier-region companies, or SRCs. Many of these firms had at their core non-profits and cooperatives that had been FabIndia suppliers for two generations. But when they were restructured, their artisan-workers bought shares in the future and a guaranteed piece of FabIndias pie. By tapping the locals and angel investors, FabIndia got a 50-percent boost in investment. More importantly, the SRC shares have already appreciated 50 percent and more. Returns like those and the jobs they generate could spell an end to rural poverty and the ills of urban migrants. The steps taken by FabIndia for the development of the weaker sections of the societies are well appreciated by the customers and also by the Industry, the rewards and recognition with the loyalty of the customers to support the causes for which FabIndia works are also the USP of the brand. Why FabIndia Should Go Global? Going Global for any organization promises tantalizing possibilities. It helps a company in increasing the international brand recognition, grasp greater market share, and achieve top line revenue growth. FabIndia is well established in India with almost 100 plus stores in all major cities of India. The option of going global is very much a strategic decision of the company as the brand FabIndia has got its footprints in the minds of international customers of ethnic Indian products. The domestic markets is well captured and catered to, so the it the time when FabIndia should look for expanding in global market. Some of the reasons specific to FabIndia expansion are: Demand of Khadi (hand-woven fabric) and handicraft products in international market as it is one of the most sought out product in fashion industry and by designers. Demand of Indian handicraft is also increasing in the global market. The world market for handicraft products and ethnic products is approximately  £152 billion. This is increasing at 15% per decade, out of which Indian share is only 2% as there is no major established retail store like FabIndia internationally. Most of the product which reaches to international market is through unorganized sector. So company has got a first mover advantage. Thirdly, FabIndia works as a co-operative so the percentage profit is shared by the shareholders (weavers and artisan). So when a company like FabIndia goes global the cause for which they work also gets promoted which help them to make a loyal customer base. FabIndias Presence in UAE and Rome has given them the ground to know and research about the products which are widely accepted by people of not only Indian origin but also Western Expatriates working in that region. The store in Rome is the reflection of Thinking Global Acting Local, as the products are designed keeping in mind the taste of Italian culture and aesthetic. Selection of Country: After doing the research, on various countries, like, USA, Australia, Canada, Japan, Germany, France etc. we have decided to launched new stores in United Kingdom. The main reason of selecting UK as our target market can be many, but we have mention some of those here which are as follows, Geographic-Economic Environment: The United Kingdom is a country and sovereign state located off the North-Western coast of continental Europe. It is an inland nation spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northern part of the island of Ireland and many more small islands. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and unitary state consisting of four countries, England, Northern Island, Scotland and Wales. The UK is a developed nation with the worlds sixth largest economy by nominal GDP ( £1.3billion) and the sixth largest by purchasing power parity ( £23,188). It provides healthy environment for foreign direct investment and has low corporate and income tax rate that is 28% and 40% respectively in the Europe. It is also a member of European Union which has round about 28 member countries in the Europe. UK is considered as higher income country with peoples power of purchasing rising day by day. Besides this, some more reasons as follows, The easiest place to establish and run a business is Europe: According to a World Bank study, it takes only 13 days to establish a business in the UK. The World Bank has ranked the UK first in Europe and sixth in the world to operate business. Stable Political Environments: Transparency International rates the UK high on the transparency list. The UK is the country with the least corruption in the world. It achieves a higher rating in comparison to the US, Japan, Germany and France. Stable Regulatory Environment: the UK follows a consultative approach for formulation of regulation which is beneficial for a business environment. Gateway to the EU market: The UK acts as an excellent gateway to the European market which has 27 member states and an approximate population of 500 million. Social-Cultural Environment: Britain is often described as a secular society but also, confusingly, as a multi-faith society. The first term refers to the claim that the influence of religion has dwindled in modern societies. Although the 2001 census showed that 77% of people in Great Britain have a religious faith, the secular description is based on the claim that for most this faith is very shallow, with only a tiny minority being actively religious. The multi-faith label refers to the co-existence within British society of many faith communities, largely as a result of immigration. For every company it is dream location as British people are getting very open and accepting the other culture. Due to it peaceful atmosphere and the ethnic, modern and stylish lifestyle, it is a dream business destination for the companies. Now the culture is like Conglomerate that means a traditional company like is still having the opportunity to do the business and the same chances would likely available for international marketing companies. Due to global fashion trend this open consumer behavior would widen the opportunity in fashion and company like FabIndia must have the opportunity in the casual and formal dressings. Handicraft, Furniture and Organic Food Industry in UK: The handicraft industry is contributing  £ 100 millions to the UK economy. In terms of growth, this sector is growing on an average rate of 7%. Gifts and furniture industry contributes  £ 9.2 billion to the economy and organic food industry contributes  £280 to national economy. However, gifts and furniture are increasing at very slower rate because of financial downturn in October 2008. But, now after recovery of financial crisis, these two industries slowly covering and the growth of it expected to rise very soon. The apparel industry in UK is both vertically and horizontally integrated for maximizing returns. Strong laws protecting patents, designs and brands play a vital role in attracting foreign direct investment in the apparel industry. Joint ventures and investments in apparel have also been greatly enhanced by the wide network of European Union which UK signed with 28 countries in 2007. Handicraft Trade: After entering in the European Union, the handcrafts sale in the UK has been raised and it is continuously increasing by 7% annually which is very higher than last decade. Mostly UK imports handcrafts from various countries around the world, like, India, China, Japan, Vietnam etc. however, Indian and Chinese handcrafts and crafts carry the most of the weight of the import because of its popularity, attractive and uniqueness. Target Cities: After deciding on the country the next stage of our operations was to look for cities where we can step-up a business and get great response from the customers. Therefore, at the end we landed on two main cities in UK which are Birmingham and Liverpool. Why Birmingham? Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midland county of UK. It is the second largest city in the country after London with population of 1 million. Out of which 21% population is Asian British which will the prime target for FabIndia at the initial stage of opening stores. The population age between16-59 is 57.7% which is the main target customer for the company. As well as, it is industrial hub and second commercial centre of the UK. Its location is in the middle of the country therefore; it is much closer to cities like Leicester, Nottingham and Northampton where more Asian or Indian ethnic population stays. The city has highest number of foreign visitors after London therefore; there are high chances of getting business from this tourist who come from all over the world. It is shopping hub in the West Midland regions. The purchasing power of the city population is high as compared to other cities in the UK. The store will be open on the New Street which is shop ping centre of the city and very popular place. Therefore, we think Birmingham is the best city for us to introduce a store of handicraft goods. Why Liverpool? The city of museum, Liverpool is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside of UK. It is a fourth largest city in the country with population of almost 0.5 million. Liverpool status as a port city has contributed to its diverse population which historically was drawn from a wide range of people, cultures and religions. The economy of the Liverpool is one of the largest in the UK and per capita income of the local people is  £ 17489. Another important component of the Liverpool economy is tourism and leisure sector. It is a shopping hub in the region and people of the city are very fashionable and like to wear handicrafts products. Liverpool One is the most famous place and main shopping centre in the city; therefore, we are opening a store at that place, where we can easily attract customers to the store. Entry Strategy: To entering the UK market, we have gone through the various factors of investment, but at the end we have decided to enter in the market with the Foreign Direct Investment. We will use Greenfield Investment and start our operation from the scratch. The reasons for taking a FDI may be many; some of those are as follows, As we will get the total control of operation and do not need to depend on anyone in the business. The government provides a good support for FDI and gives concession in the corporate and income tax rates. It will helps us understand the UK market and in future our network and distribution channel which will be develop at the first phase of operation can be usable for future expansion in UK and in Europe. The soft loans from government and local banks will be easier to get when it required for future expansion. Global Marketing Strategy: For marketing of our products at the first stage Focus Strategy will be applied. A strategy in which, an organization aims to achieve market share, by focusing its efforts on serving a narrow range of market segments well. At the beginning of the business Asian and Asian British will be the first target customers in both cities and in the later stage British consumers will be targeted. The reason for this, FabIndia is follow word of mouth publicity and people who are already aware of the brand and its product will be targeted easily. Competitors Analysis: Porters Forces Analysis: This is used to analyze the competitive environment in each country market. The model identifies five sources of competitive pressures on the firm in a given country industry. It deals with global competition across several country markets. New Entrants: From the political analysis we could find that the country has an attractive business environment. Research also shows that entry barriers are low, so it is quite easy to set up a business in the country. Indian handcrafts and ethnic wear are popular among Indians and Europeans in UK. So, stores exclusively for Indian clothes are favorable in the country. This shows there is a high threat of new entrants who might want to set up a business in similar segments as well. Substitutes: The company has certain substitutes products which are served by brands like Wonderworld and Marks Spencer. But, the good thing is there are only a moderate number of substitutes. This would be an advantage to the company. But still the company must have an eye on these substitutes which might face a threat to them. Thus, the company must provide service and improvise in their products, such that these substitutes do not become a threat. Untitled11.jpg Buyer: The bargaining power of the buyer is high. FabIndia is exclusively into the Indian ethnic and contemporary segment. There are moderate substitutes in the country and research shows that there are more Asians in the region. FabIndia is also a brand well known in India and there is quite some brand awareness amongst the people. Thus, the bargaining power of the buyer is high. Supplier: Most of the raw materials which the companies mainly require are readily available in the country. But, the main point of importing from India is because of its workmanship and the purpose of the company. Opening a new branch overseas involves risks too. All these indicate that the suppliers have a low bargaining power. Rivalry: There are only are a few local competitors that offer the similar products and the company positions itself away from the international competitors and regards them as substitutes. Thus, the rivalry among the competitors is low. FabIndias purpose is quite different unlike other companies whose motto is only to make money. Thus from this analysis, we could draw a conclusion the country has a good market potential and the company could do good business in the United Kingdom. Segmentation and Targeting: Every company should embrace target marketing. Here, sellers distinguish the major market segments, target one or more of these segments and develop products and marketing programs tailored to each. Target marketing requires taking three major steps: Identify and profile distinct group of buyers who differ in their needs and preferences. Select one or more market segments to enter. For each target segment, establish and communicate the key distinctive benefits of the companys market offering.(Kotler, 2003) We did analysis on our target market and split into the following parts for Fabindia: Geographic: Region: United Kingdom Density: Urban (Birmingham and Liverpool) Climate: Both winters and summers Demographic: Age: 5-15, 15-30, 30-65+ Gender: Male and Female Nationality: Asian Expatriates, Asian of British Origin, British, Institutions (Designers, Hotels and Restaurants) Race: Asian and Asian British, White British Social Class: Lower, Middle and Upper Psychographic: Lifestyle: Culture oriented, Ethnic Indian, Contemporary Behavioral: Occasions: Regular and Special Benefits: Quality, Service, Economy , Speed Loyalty Status: None, Medium, Strong, Absolute Attitude Towards Product: Enthusiastic, Positive, Cultured, Indifferent, Hostile Positioning: Todays economies are afflicted with surpluses, not shortages. No company can win if its product and offerings resembles every other product and offering. Positioning is the act of designing the companys offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market. (Kotler,2003). All products need to be distinctive and differentiated. FabIndias brand can be differentiated as, Niche yet affordable. Handcrafted yet high quality This perceptual map helps the organization to identify where it stands in the market and also identifies its positioning strategy. When plotting a perceptual map two dimensions are commonly used. Below is a very basic perceptual map. If we plot the UK Indian handcrafts and clothing market we can identify those brands which are high price and high quality. Both FabIndia and Wonderworld are plotted as high quality and high price. But, the former leads its way in the perceptual map. C:UsersacerDownloadsPerception Map.jpg In our basic map, we can see there is competition within that particular area. Though we have stiff competition and substitutes from the likes of Marks Spence and websites like lehengahouse.com, we provide the real worth for the peoples money with no compromise on quality and design and that is why FabIndia attains its high quality and high price position in the perceptual map. Marketing Mix: Product: FabIndia has a variety of products in different ranged and caters from clothing to organic products. Men, Women Apparel and Home Linen: The textile-based product range includes ready-to-wear garments and accessories for men, women, teenagers and children; bed, bath, table and kitchen linen; floor coverings, upholstery fabric and curtains. Cotton, silk, wool, grass, linen and jute are the basic fibers used. We also have considered the weather conditions in United Kingdom and have altered our products to support this. We have used more woolen products, as it is the best material for cold weather. Our home Linen line will give our customers a traditional Indian decor in their home. Home Dà ©cor: Our home products range carries furniture, lighting, stationery, tableware, cane baskets and a selection of handcrafted utility items. Indian handicrafts have been accepted worldwide and since there is heavy demand we will offer wide variety of furnitures which will give our customers an opportunity to have and Indian theme and ambience in their very own homes. Organic Food: We carry several types of cereals, grains, pulses, spices, sugar, tea, coffee, honey, fruit preserves and herbs in our organic food range. The Organic food industry is one of the biggest industries today as it considered highly healthy and nutritional. Jewellery and Gift Accessories: In 2002, FabIndia launched a new jewellery line which was made with wood, copper silver and gold. The jewellery line was well accepted. They also have products product line as gifts like clutches, purses and wall hanging. All handcrafted and made in rural India. Ayurvedic Skin Care: Our range of Authentic Personal Care Products includes soaps, shampoos, hair oils, pure oils, moisturizers, body scrubs, face packs, hair conditioners and special skin care products. Ayurvedic treatment using Indian herbs is very popular in the western world today and is a big industry. Price: Our Pricing strategy will be made with the main objective on current profit maximization. In our entry strategy we will follow price-skimming strategy, as this is a new market and it would help establish ourselves and gain market position. Cotton Wool Silk.jpg Our price range will range from  £15 to  £150 as there are different materials that are used. After our second quarter we will follow the market based pricing strategy. Pricing will differ from Product to Product and will be at least 50% more than what it is in Indian market. Place We are looking at opening up our first 2 FabIndia stores at two prime locations Birmingham and Liverpool. 1.jpg * Traditional shopping area at Birmingham New Street 2.jpg *Liverpool One Shopping Center These are the two locations where our store will be located, as all the local people know them as a shopping hub. Our stores will have an ethnic yet contemporary design. Our stores will be big as we need to display a wide range of products and this would also give our customers a wide variety to choose from. Promotion: We have various Promotion plans to attract customers and earn their loyalty. Given below are a few of the Promotional activities that we intend to organize and implement. Customer Loyalty Program: In this scheme we will give our customers membership cards and allow them to collect points and allow them to redeem these points in forms of discounts and offering them gifts. We will have different Tiers, which will give our esteemed customers various privileges. Sponsoring Indian Events: India has various festivals that are celebrated worldwide, so we will approach the Local Indian Communities and sponsor events as this would help our brand to reach various customers and at the same time build a wide network and help in Brand Recognition. Organizing Fashion Shows: We will organize fashion shows to show-off our clothing line and this would help attract customers and make them aware on the actual appearance of our clothing line. 3.jpg We will also Invite children and organize a fashion show for them to show our clothing line for kids. Organizing an Indian Food Festival: 4.jpg As we already know that Indian Food is very popular all over the world we are planning to organize an Indian food festival offering various delicacies from all regions of India. Inviting Artists and Authors: We will Invite Popular artists and Authors to our store and support their new launch of books or paintings as this will give our customers to talk to them and understand how they work. Discount Sale in Festive Seasons: 6.jpg We are planning to offer discount sales on festive seasons to encourage consumers to choose our clothing line for their entire ethnic requirement. Promotion of Cause: It is one of the USP of Fabindia in International market like UK. The cause for which they work i.e. for the benefit of weaker section of society. This cause has to be promoted in a way that more people contribute and they realize that when they are buying fabindia product they are giving back to the society. Implementation Plan: Phase 1: This is one of the most important phases in our set up as we would start by setting up our corporate office to handle all operational and official responsibilities. We would also have to take the step of importing all the products and arranging all the logistics activities. At any initial its very important to set up a system as this would help in us to carry out a smooth operation. Corp office.jpg Phase 2: Now we will have to look out for stores in the locations suggested earlier and we will have to make sure the place is big enough to accommodate all our products as we want our customers to see our variety of products and choose. Once this step is complete we will have to recruit staff and train them on certain Indian festivals and also as to what clothing is to be worn on particular festive season as this would give our customers a comfortable atmosphere and an excellent FabIndia Experience as, A loyal Customer is a Permanent Customer. GoldCard.pngSilver Card-send.png Phase 3: Once our store is set and we are ready to kick off we will have to introduce the promotions that were suggested earlier in this plan, as this would encourage more customers to come and have a FabIndia Experience and also help enhance the brand value and recognition. FabIndia has never done too much marketing as they heavily depend on word of mouth and this has really worked for us because they already have a commendable marketing position in India. Phase 4: This is a final Phase where we successfully established ourselves in the United Kingdom and have to keep updating on our clothing line by introducing new designs and also keep modifying our other products. Once we have a commanding market position we can look at expanding into new areas and opening up more stores as the risk will be much lower. Risk Management: Retailing is one of the worlds largest industries. As retailing and wholesaling have become more global, competition has intensified. In addition to the global economic downturn, todays retailers face a wide range of challenges, including industry consolidation, employee attraction and retention, and business continuity. And as always, consumers are demanding ever-higher quality at ever-lower prices for the products they buy. For a retail business, these trends create a host of risks: strategic, financial, operational, and hazard   that can prove costly. Claims Consulting for company like Fabindia, employee and customer claims constitute the largest share of total cost of risk. Many claim consultants have partnered with these types of companies to manage these claims more cost-effectively. Merger, Acquisition, and Divestiture Mergers and acquisitions are common in the retail industry. They need to be efficient enough to minimize the risks associated with these complex transactions. Property Prices-Ever increasing price can affect the revenues of the company. So Fabindia will opt for long term leasing of store space. Competitors- Though highly unorganized there is threat of new entrance. So changes in strategies are important to keep competitive edge. Forex rate and Economy: after the 2008 economic downturn European Economy is still recovering so a close watch is required by management team about the future plans and expansions. Conclusion: