The Drive to Destroy Enlightenment Values Free Essays

The history of wars and revolution is flooded with personalities with almost mythical qualities. The heroes of wars and revolutions declared new social orders based on the principles of justice and public service. These individuals, after their assumption to power and material wealth, declared the supremacy of their respective cultures. We will write a custom essay sample on The Drive to Destroy Enlightenment Values or any similar topic only for you Order Now In history, this happened many times, as in the case of the Athenian and Roman Empires, the Napoleonic Era, the Holy Roman Empire, and many others. Yet, out of these wars and revolutions, ideologies developed. These ideologies usually offered alternative ways of life, that is, new philosophies for managing civilizations. However, some ideologies became the background for advancing rationalism and progress. Out of revolutions at the latter part of the 18th century, a general atmosphere of Enlightenment clouded the countries of Europe. This ideology declared the innate greatness of man, his love for liberalism, and his drive towards order and self-regulation. The Enlightenment proposed the idea that man, given his limitations and tendencies to innovate, can achieve freedom by imputing liberal values both in the state and the society. This can be done in two ways. An individual, in association with other individuals can establish a government that promotes liberal ideas. If the state is unresponsive to the waves of liberalism or obstructs its growth, then the only answer is revolution. Here, the term â€Å"revolution† acquires a positive character. Although the new ideology was borne out of the French Revolution, it was eventually accepted by European monarchs as an alternative way of dealing with their liberal subjects. They saw the Enlightenment as vital to the survival of European civilization and advancement of science and technology. A civilized way of life can only be maintained so long as the â€Å"spirit of times† matches the needs of the populations. As one will see later, the values advanced by the Enlightenment were threatened by the wars and revolutions of the 20th century. Sigmund Freud’s Civilization and its Discontents According to Freud, the foundation of civilization can be traced to the conflict between sexual need and social mores. The former is the source of mankind’s libidinal energy; expressed in love and satisfaction. The latter is the source of dissatisfaction, frustration, and ultimately aggression. Harmony can only be achieved when an individual learned to control his violent impulses. Here, Sigmund Freud made the following assertions about the nature of man and civilization. Some of his assertions are as follows. Destructive forces or its source are exhibited in all individuals. Thus, man by nature, is an anti-social and anti-cultural. â€Å"Men are not gentle, friendly creatures wishing for love, who simply defend themselves if they are attacked, but that a powerful measure of desire for aggression has to be reckoned as part of their instinctual endowment† (Freud:1930/1989:51). Because of the anti-social nature of man, he finds difficulty in keeping promises; And, aggression is seen as an original self-subsisting instinctual disposition in man: â€Å"the greatest impediment to civilization† (Freud, 1930/1989:58). Because Freud saw man as anti-social and anti-cultural, he assumed that civilization was the product of struggle between the libidinal instinct and social mechanisms for controlling behavior. In history, according to him, some individuals were able to subdue their â€Å"feeling of obedience to social mores† to aggression. Genghis Khan, Emperor Neo, Attila the Hun, and many others were revealed as savage beasts to whom â€Å"the thought of sparing their own kind as alien† (Freud, 1930/1989:54). Freud saw aggression then as the real threat to civilization, all the more that aggression is present in all individuals. The society then is forced to use violent means to curb the threat; a form of violent reprisal of a violent tendency. Every institution in the society are called to reinforce the values of humanity, or more specifically of civilization (the values of liberalism and rationalism). This struggle between the two tendencies only increases the propensity of a bloody end. The values of civilization to which societies were built would be compromised to suit the demands of the â€Å"outlaw.† Here, Freud made his remarks about the struggle. â€Å"Civilization expects to prevent the worst atrocities of brutal violence by taking upon itself the right to employ violence against criminals, but the law is not able to lay hands on the more discreet and subtle forms in which human aggressions are ex- pressed. The time comes when every one of us has to abandon the illusory anticipations with which in our youth we regarded our fellow-men, and when we realize how much hardship and suffering we have been caused in life through their ill-will. It would be unfair, however, to reproach culture with trying to eliminate all disputes and competition from human concerns. These things are undoubtedly indispensable; but opposition is not necessarily enmity, only it may be misused to make an opening for it† (Freud, 1930/1989:61). Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness is a literary piece showing the conflict between two civilizations or more accurately two competing ideologies. The struggle between these two ideologies results to bloodshed and animosity among men; a sort of social anomie Durkheim referred to as the deterioration of social norms. In Chapter III of the book, Conrad showed that men are induced to violence when demands and priorities conflict. The main character of the story, Kurtz, found his way in conflict with the natives and the ship’s manager over the value of the ivory tusks. â€Å"The manager enters the cabin to speak with Kurtz, and Marlow withdraws to the steamer’s deck. From here he sees two natives standing near the river with impressive headdresses and spears, and a beautiful native woman draped in ornaments pacing gracefully along the shore. She stops and stares out at the steamer for a while and then moves away into the forest. Marlow notes that she must be wearing several elephant tusks’ worth of ornaments. The Russian implies that she is Kurtz’s mistress, and states that she has caused him trouble through her influence over Kurtz. He adds that he would have tried to shoot her if she had tried to come aboard. The trader’s comments are interrupted by the sound of Kurtz yelling at the manager inside the cabin. Kurtz accuses the men of coming for the ivory rather than to help him, and he threatens the manager for interfering with his plans† (Conrad, 1971:27). Other Europeans though were eager to compete against Kurtz in acquiring ivory tusks from the natives. Thus, Marlow (a character in the story) and a Russian trader ended up aligning with Kurtz against their competitors. Philosophically speaking, the story presented the staggering change of heart of Marlow. Instead of presenting himself as a man of humility, he was forced to redefine his values (Enlightenment values). He suddenly became obsessed of acquiring more and more wealth. He loathed the Africans for their irrationality and savagery. He accused the Europeans of exploiting the natives while he himself indulged in every form of luxury. In the end, he became violent and indignant to the basic principles of civilization; the same thing Sigmund Freud said (although the manner Freud assumed it was academic). Thadeus Borowitz’ This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentleman Borowitz thesis can be summed up as follows: violence can be magnified using fear as the catalyst (Borowitz, 1976). In this book, the author portrayed the brutal murder of the Jews during the Second World War, specifically during Hitler’s Final Solution to the Jewish Question. Fear erased all the hopes of survival for the Jews. Death was the only way to surrender one’s claim to this world; the only way to escape further punishment and suffering. The Author emphasized the following as the outmost determinants of fear and its intended consequences: Fear raised the morale of the aggressor. The Nazis believed that the Jewish race was a perversion in the world; a race induced in violence and cultural disintegration. Thus, the only way to exterminate a violent race was to match it with greater violence. Survival is only a temporary stage of bliss. Memories of loved ones who perished in the gas chambers will soon follow suit. â€Å"Millions of other citizens were killed for no reason at all except for the fact that they were Jewish. To survive a life full of sick competiveness, never-ending fear, and the loss of loved ones is a huge accomplishment.† Summary Freud, Conrad, and Borowitz are basically examining the basic urge in man: violence. Violence can destroy values which have been cherished since the birth of a powerful ideology. Only the methods of telling the message differed. Freud approach was academic, that of Conrad literary, that of Borowitz historical. References Borowitz, Thadeus. 1976. This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentleman. New York: Penguin Books. Conrad, Joseph. 1971. Heart of Darkness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Freud, Sigmund. 1930/1989. Civilization and Its Discontents. W. Norton Company; Reissue edition. How to cite The Drive to Destroy Enlightenment Values, Essay examples The Drive to Destroy Enlightenment Values Free Essays The history of wars and revolution is flooded with personalities with almost mythical qualities. The heroes of wars and revolutions declared new social orders based on the principles of justice and public service. These individuals, after their assumption to power and material wealth, declared the supremacy of their respective cultures. We will write a custom essay sample on The Drive to Destroy Enlightenment Values or any similar topic only for you Order Now In history, this happened many times, as in the case of the Athenian and Roman Empires, the Napoleonic Era, the Holy Roman Empire, and many others. Yet, out of these wars and revolutions, ideologies developed. These ideologies usually offered alternative ways of life, that is, new philosophies for managing civilizations. However, some ideologies became the background for advancing rationalism and progress. Out of revolutions at the latter part of the 18th century, a general atmosphere of Enlightenment clouded the countries of Europe. This ideology declared the innate greatness of man, his love for liberalism, and his drive towards order and self-regulation. The Enlightenment proposed the idea that man, given his limitations and tendencies to innovate, can achieve freedom by imputing liberal values both in the state and the society. This can be done in two ways. An individual, in association with other individuals can establish a government that promotes liberal ideas. If the state is unresponsive to the waves of liberalism or obstructs its growth, then the only answer is revolution. Here, the term â€Å"revolution† acquires a positive character. Although the new ideology was borne out of the French Revolution, it was eventually accepted by European monarchs as an alternative way of dealing with their liberal subjects. They saw the Enlightenment as vital to the survival of European civilization and advancement of science and technology. A civilized way of life can only be maintained so long as the â€Å"spirit of times† matches the needs of the populations. As one will see later, the values advanced by the Enlightenment were threatened by the wars and revolutions of the 20th century. Sigmund Freud’s Civilization and its Discontents According to Freud, the foundation of civilization can be traced to the conflict between sexual need and social mores. The former is the source of mankind’s libidinal energy; expressed in love and satisfaction. The latter is the source of dissatisfaction, frustration, and ultimately aggression. Harmony can only be achieved when an individual learned to control his violent impulses. Here, Sigmund Freud made the following assertions about the nature of man and civilization. Some of his assertions are as follows: 1) Destructive forces or its source are exhibited in all individuals. Thus, man by nature, is an anti-social and anti-cultural. â€Å"Men are not gentle, friendly creatures wishing for love, who simply defend themselves if they are attacked, but that a powerful measure of desire for aggression has to be reckoned as part of their instinctual endowment† (Freud:1930/1989:51). 2)Because of the anti-social nature of man, he finds difficulty in keeping promises; 3)And, aggression is seen as an original self-subsisting instinctual disposition in man: â€Å"the greatest impediment to civilization† (Freud, 1930/1989:58). Because Freud saw man as anti-social and anti-cultural, he assumed that civilization was the product of struggle between the libidinal instinct and social mechanisms for controlling behavior. In history, according to him, some individuals were able to subdue their â€Å"feeling of obedience to social mores† to aggression. Genghis Khan, Emperor Neo, Attila the Hun, and many others were revealed as savage beasts to whom â€Å"the thought of sparing their own kind as alien† (Freud, 1930/1989:54). Freud saw aggression then as the real threat to civilization, all the more that aggression is present in all individuals. The society then is forced to use violent means to curb the threat; a form of violent reprisal of a violent tendency. Every institution in the society are called to reinforce the values of humanity, or more specifically of civilization (the values of liberalism and rationalism). This struggle between the two tendencies only increases the propensity of a bloody end. The values of civilization to which societies were built would be compromised to suit the demands of the â€Å"outlaw.† Here, Freud made his remarks about the struggle. â€Å"Civilization expects to prevent the worst atrocities of brutal violence by taking upon itself the right to employ violence against criminals, but the law is not able to lay hands on the more discreet and subtle forms in which human aggressions are ex- pressed. The time comes when every one of us has to abandon the illusory anticipations with which in our youth we regarded our fellow-men, and when we realize how much hardship and suffering we have been caused in life through their ill-will. It would be unfair, however, to reproach culture with trying to eliminate all disputes and competition from human concerns. These things are undoubtedly indispensable; but opposition is not necessarily enmity, only it may be misused to make an opening for it† (Freud, 1930/1989:61). Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness is a literary piece showing the conflict between two civilizations or more accurately two competing ideologies. The struggle between these two ideologies results to bloodshed and animosity among men; a sort of social anomie Durkheim referred to as the deterioration of social norms. In Chapter III of the book, Conrad showed that men are induced to violence when demands and priorities conflict. The main character of the story, Kurtz, found his way in conflict with the natives and the ship’s manager over the value of the ivory tusks. â€Å"The manager enters the cabin to speak with Kurtz, and Marlow withdraws to the steamer’s deck. From here he sees two natives standing near the river with impressive headdresses and spears, and a beautiful native woman draped in ornaments pacing gracefully along the shore. She stops and stares out at the steamer for a while and then moves away into the forest. Marlow notes that she must be wearing several elephant tusks’ worth of ornaments. The Russian implies that she is Kurtz’s mistress, and states that she has caused him trouble through her influence over Kurtz. He adds that he would have tried to shoot her if she had tried to come aboard. The trader’s comments are interrupted by the sound of Kurtz yelling at the manager inside the cabin. Kurtz accuses the men of coming for the ivory rather than to help him, and he threatens the manager for interfering with his plans† (Conrad, 1971:27). Other Europeans though were eager to compete against Kurtz in acquiring ivory tusks from the natives. Thus, Marlow (a character in the story) and a Russian trader ended up aligning with Kurtz against their competitors. Philosophically speaking, the story presented the staggering change of heart of Marlow. Instead of presenting himself as a man of humility, he was forced to redefine his values (Enlightenment values). He suddenly became obsessed of acquiring more and more wealth. He loathed the Africans for their irrationality and savagery. He accused the Europeans of exploiting the natives while he himself indulged in every form of luxury. In the end, he became violent and indignant to the basic principles of civilization; the same thing Sigmund Freud said (although the manner Freud assumed it was academic). Thadeus Borowitz’ This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentleman Borowitz thesis can be summed up as follows: violence can be magnified using fear as the catalyst (Borowitz, 1976). In this book, the author portrayed the brutal murder of the Jews during the Second World War, specifically during Hitler’s Final Solution to the Jewish Question. Fear erased all the hopes of survival for the Jews. Death was the only way to surrender one’s claim to this world; the only way to escape further punishment and suffering. The Author emphasized the following as the outmost determinants of fear and its intended consequences: 1)Fear raised the morale of the aggressor. The Nazis believed that the Jewish race was a perversion in the world; a race induced in violence and cultural disintegration. 2)Thus, the only way to exterminate a violent race was to match it with greater violence. 3)Survival is only a temporary stage of bliss. Memories of loved ones who perished in the gas chambers will soon follow suit. â€Å"Millions of other citizens were killed for no reason at all except for the fact that they were Jewish. To survive a life full of sick competiveness, never-ending fear, and the loss of loved ones is a huge accomplishment.† Summary Freud, Conrad, and Borowitz are basically examining the basic urge in man: violence. Violence can destroy values which have been cherished since the birth of a powerful ideology. Only the methods of telling the message differed. Freud approach was academic, that of Conrad literary, that of Borowitz historical. References Borowitz, Thadeus. 1976. This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentleman. New York: Penguin Books. Conrad, Joseph. 1971. Heart of Darkness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Freud, Sigmund. 1930/1989. Civilization and Its Discontents. W. Norton Company; Reissue edition. How to cite The Drive to Destroy Enlightenment Values, Essay examples

Business Elements Achievements and Sustainability

Question: Discuss about the Business Elements Achievements and Sustainability. Answer: Introduction The following assessment would look into various segments of the company. During the report key areas is to be highlighted. The report is mainly focusing on the business and business elements of the company. Its achievements and the role in sustainability are also to be highlighted. Woolworths is one of the largest retailer of foods and other products was founded on September, 22, 1924 by Percy Christmas, Stanley Chatterton, Cecil Scott Waine, George Creed, Ernest Williams having its headquarters are at Bella Vista, New South Wales, Australia and the area served by the company is Australia, New Zealand and India. About Woolworths Limited The main divisions are Supermarkets ( Woolworths, Countdown, Thomas Dux, Food for Less, Flemings, Petrol (Caltex Woolworths), Liquor(BWS, Dan Murphys), General Merchandise (Big W), Home Improvement( Masters), Hotels and Gambling(ALH Group). The Company is registered in Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and the main area of functioning is in retailing mostly in large scale in Australia and New Zealand. Woolworths is the second largest company in Australia in terms of revenue after Perth based retails group Wesfarmers. It is also second largest in New Zealand and the largest takeaway liquor retailer in Australia and largest retailer in the world. It is a public limited company (Woolworthslimited, Woolworths Supermarkets, 2016). Woolworths opened its first store, the Woolworths Stupendous Bargain Basement, at Pitt Street, Sydney which is now Westfield Sydney on 5th December, 1924. The capital was Pound 25,000 and later on shares issued of 15,000 but only 11,707 shares were subscribed for by 29 people including five founding members. The Woolworths stores are extremely innovative and have the most detailed variety of foods and other edible products. Christmas started a New Zealand operation with general merchandise on 1929 in Wellington area including the first food store in Auckland in 1956 and supermarkets in 1971 (ASX, 2016). The company growth started to happen and the second store in Sydney and more stores in Perth, Brisbane in late 1920s, Melbourne in 1933, Adelaide in 1936 . The World War II affected the growth story of Woolworth group. But despite all this the 200th store was opened in 1955 in Canberra. The company bought various retail chains like Edments Ltd., Rockmans chain of womens clothing, Dick Smith Electronics chain, Tandy chain, etc. the key highlights of finanacial performance of the is as following; Sales excluded of petrol after 131 Caltex operated site exit was recorded at 2.5% growth although if petrol sales included then the total sales is dropping by 0.2% to $60.7 billion. Gross profit increased to 27.5% as a percentage of sales after petrol exit and considering the higher margin products outweighing the gross profit margin drop in both New Zealand and Australian supermarkets due to lower price investment and introduction. Earnings per share drop down to 195.2 cents by 0.7% while net profit after tax and before significant items and uncontrolled interests increased to 0.1% on the prior year. The involvement of the net financing cost decreased by 0.2% on earlier years as a result of interest savings by repayment of high debt in part by lowering the capital bearing interest cost. Future projection Proper Capital management by restructuring entire capital setup for better capital cost management and interest on capital reduction. Proper debt financing so that fully hedged financed interest cost involved are managed rightly to reduce extra cost burden. Proper debt maturities are too managed in such a way as to highlight the loan facility in more transparent manner. Vision mission To have better management on entire retail set up after the exit of electronics chain. To manage the business in better way by not taking up any business which can make loss in the gross business system like that of Petrol business with Caltex where huge loss was incurred due to 131 Caltex sites under Woolworths face value which ultimately affected the total business setup grossly. To take up or make new acquisitions in a very careful manner with profit motive in target. Progress and strategic priorities: Long term shareholder values are given important and disciplined capital allocation and portfolio management is maintained. New introduction of the products of global repute in the stores like Honda mowers, Loctite adhesives, Sherwin-Williams Paints. Australian supermarket are taken care of by investing more than $200 million in lower prices for 9000 items to regain the market share in 2015 , 2nd half. All three format of liquor business of BWS, Dan Murphys and The Wine Quarter have performed superbly to keep the greater share. The lean retail model is developed against a target of $500 million by group wise transformation with real dollar cost in a low inflation stage. BIG W is to be placed for 80% growth out of non production inventory rolled out to 63 new stores and the online increased to product range to 28000 products. Significant Issue inChairman's Report The Chairman of Woolworths Limited Mr.Gordon Cairns who joined the Woolworths Board in September, 2015 have stated in the Annual Report of FY15 various issues which are significant for the company. The points of discussion may be stated as below $2.45 billion of Net Profit after tax but before significant items delivered. Net profit after tax has increased by significant terms 0.1% on the last year to $2,453.3 million. The net profit after tax and after significant items decreased by 12.5% to $2,146.0 million. Group sales reached $60.7 billion which is a decrease by 0.2%. Group sales excluding petrol reached $55.0 billion which is a increase by 2.5%.The Board increased a 1.5% of dividends per share to 139 cents for FY 2015 from 137 cents in FY 2014. A very significant change has been made in the senior management team. Lower employee incentive based remuneration, store operations efficiency with improved support functions helped to control to some extent the Cost of doing business which was affected by Woolworths and Caltex alliance limitation and subdued sales growth. The cost of business to sales increased 42 bps on last year to 21.3% due this limitation (Woolworthslimited, Annual Report, 2016). Emergingissuesin MD"s report The CEO and Managing Director Mr.Grant OBrien who since October, 2011 served as CEO and the company for 28 years have informed the Board of his intention to step down from CEO and Managing Director position. A very extensive global search is being done to find the right replacement of Mr.Grant. Till such time Mr. Grant will continue to enrich the company. In February, 2015 Brad Banducci was appointed as the Managing Director of Food Group of Woolworths replacing Tjeerd Jegan. Brad is replaced as Managing Director of Liquor Group of Woolworths by Martin Smith, former General Manager of Dan Murphys. Dave Chambers was positioned as Director of Woolworths Supermarkets. Pat McEntee is positioned as Acting Managing Director of Progressive Enterprises in New Zealand. Alistair McGeorge, the Managing Director of BIGW left the company in August, 2015 and was replaced by Penny Winn. The significant issues reported in FY 2015 by Managing Director Mr.Grant may be stated below FY 2015, the profit to be returned to shareholders as dividends before significant items are 72% will be $1.8 billion. By size the company is 30% larger than the nearest competitor in Australian market in liquor business. For focus on fresh and shelf availability almost 56000 hours per week is reused in service in store format. Liquor business is growing further and it has already is a global leader. Woolworths is the Australias largest domestic online retailer. ALH is Australias largest hotel chain operator. Home timber and Hardware sales for FY15 increased by 20.9% to $937 million. Masters sales for FY15 increased by 23.7% to $930 million. Home Improvement sales for FY15 increased by 22.3% to $1.9 billion. 330 new refurbished hotels at 39 important venues during FY15. Hotel sale for FY15 increased by 0.2% on earlier year to $ 1,475 million. 63 stores for new party category was introduced with another 67 planned in FY16. Total sales for FY15 decreased by 5.7% to $ 4.1 billion. Loyalty program for 900,000 members were launched as a part of Dan Murphys. 41 new Australian liquor stores opened in FY15. 30 new Australian supermarkets opened in Fy15. $200 million investment in lower prices benefited most of the food customers for variety of new cheaper products. $7.7 billion total liquor sales are an increase by 4.2%over last year. Operational management of stock at retail business may help competitors. Needs to improve computer network disturbance and system failures. Joint ventures needed to be rethinking before taking due to risk behaviour. High market competition is affecting new business hence to review. Future risks out of acquisitions and value depreciation due to such activities. Risk of non-compliance and legal and regulatory activities may affect business. A substantial decline in economic activities in Australia and New Zealand has greatly affected almost all business formats which are to be taken care of (Woolworthslimited, Reports, 2016). Significant issues in Corporate Responsibility Report: Woolworths is a major FoodandStaples retailer in Australian market. Woolworths is recognized as the Sustainability Leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. This is a major achievement for the company in terms of sustainability. Globally and locally Woolworths has earned respect for the integrity towards corporate responsibility programs.Woolworths is diverse and complex industry and directly touching lives of millions. The goal of the company is to serve people with best choice, value for money and satisfaction. The company currently employs more than 2,00,000. Literally the company is leader in corporate responsibility and earned the respect over a period of time (Federation, 2016). The highlights of the achievements are listed below; Earning trust and respect of customers are stakeholders are to be considered as the biggest achievements for the company. The company bus responsibly and source sustainably and ethically. The quality and the sustainability are paramount to the business. The business and the animal husbandry is important aspect of the business. Woolworths offer cage-free egg choices toits customers. The hens are housed indoors in barns and they lay eggs when nest boxes. The chicken meats produced and sold in the supermarkets are RSPCA approved or equivalent. The company has achieved the goals it set for 2012 (Woolworthslimited, 2016). As responsible citizen it attained significant targets in 2012; The company has managed to reduce emission from its own trucks by 25%. The company has managed to reduce emission by 30% from the company car fleet. The baseline data for all tucks and cars are closely monitored. The company has increased use of hybrid powered trucks for home deliveries. The company has reduced water usage by 200 million liters by 2010. The suppliers forums are created by the company for supply of sustainablepackaging. The company is also practicing and complying with Environmental Code of Practice for Packaging (ECOPP). The company also reports about it packaging quality to Packaging Covenant (APC). PIQET assessments on meat trays, wine bottles are also conducted regularly. The responsibility comes with source and supply of hygienic foods. This is the primary corporate responsibility of Woolworths. The company is aware of the packaging impact on the environment. The sustainability and preservation of environmental substances is the way for the future growth of the company. The organized food retailing is important for sustainability (Woolworths, 2016). Calculation of Key ratios: PROFITABILITY 2015 $ Woolworths RETURN ON ASSETS 8.44% PAT 2137.4 ASSETS 25336.8 RETURN ON EQUITY 19.20% NET INCOME 2137.4 EQUITY 11132 GROSS PROFIT MARGIN 27% GP 16523.6 SALES 60868.4 NET PROFIT MARGIN 4% PAT 2137.4 SALES 60868.4 LIQUIDITY 2015 $ Woolworths CURRENT RATIO 0.83555832 CA 7660.9 CL 9168.6 QUICK RATIO 0.30415767 CA-INVENTORY 2788.7 CL 9168.6 TURNOVER 2015 $ Woolworths INVENTORY TURNOVER 9.10159681 COGS 44344.8 AVERAGE INVENTORY 4872.2 ASSETS TURNOVER 2.40237125 NET SALES 60868.4 TOTAL ASSETS 25336.8 FIXED ASSET TURNOVER 6.04927401 NET SALES 60868.4 FIXED ASSETS 10062.1 WORKING CAPITAL TURNOVER -40.371692 NET SALES 60868.4 WORKING CAPITAL -1507.7 GEARING RATIO 2015 $ Woolworths GEARING RATIO 0.21667968 LONG TERM DEBT 3079.3 SHAREHOLDER'S FUND + LONG TERM DEBT 14211.3 INTEREST COVERAGE 13.0396389 EBIT 3322.5 INTEREST 254.8 SHAREHOLDERS' 2015 $ Woolworths EPS 0.84925302 PAT 2137.4 NUMBER OF SHARES 2516.8 DIVIDEND PAYOUT RATIO 1.63673248 TOTAL DIVIDEND 3498.352 PAT 2137.4 Value creation or diminution in terms of six capitals: The much talked about of a corporate is Financial Capital. There are other capitals also which plays an important role to the development of business and industry. These capitals are lesser known from financial point of views manufactured, intellectual, human, and social and relationship and natural capital. Each capital depicted above is interlinked to the corporate responsibility of a company. Investment and savings of money is directly linked to financial capital. Woolworths Limiteds applied retail models helped it to save $500 million in terms of cost reduction for FY 2015-16. This enabled increased investment in the operation of the company leading customer satisfaction. Human capital is linked to wellbeing of employees and customers. Grant OBrien, CEO Woolworths Limited can be quoted saying as we will do whatever it takes to improve its position in the retail market through commitment towards customers. This policy of the company can be said as preservation of human capital. The intellectual capital includes processing of foods and offering better quality service to the customers. Improvement and investment in technology to source good quality food with little wastage of the resources can be termed as intellectual capital of the company, like the company is offering good quality foods with better hygiene and packaging. The social and relationship capital is nothing but building relationship with customers and other stakeholders. The price is the key driver to the growth, the competitive pricing and the quality would drive the growth for the company in future (Woolworthslimited, 2016). Recommendation on investing in Woolworths: The CEO has listed some targets for the company to achieve in long run which would boost the performance of the company in longer run. The momentum in food products has to be regained by offering better food and adding variety to it. The liquor division is the clear market leader, the company would hold the leadership position as long as it offers new product in different category. The maintenance of disciplined allocation of investment and portfolio management would underpin growth plans. These are the fundaments of the company that will drive growth in future. Warren Buffet once said I would prefer buying those stocks which can be seen, used and felt. Here, Woolworths Limited can be seen, can be felt. It would be better for an investor to hold on to that company for longer term. The track record of the company says that it does what it commits. Therefore, it would be advisable to hold on to that company but investor need to remember one sentence from the same man Its far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price, than a fair company at a wonderful price (Town, 2016). References: ASX. (2016, 09 10). WOOLWORTHS LIMITED (WOW). Retrieved 09 10, 2016, from www.asx.com.au: https://www.asx.com.au/asx/statistics/announcements.do?by=asxCodeasxCode=WOWtimeframe=Dperiod=M6 Federation. (2016, 09 12). federation.edu.au. Retrieved 09 12, 2016, from federation.edu.au: https://federation.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/190044/General-Guide-to-Writing-and-Study-Skills.pdf Town, P. (2016, 09 12). 29 Warren Buffett Quotes on Investing Success. Retrieved 09 12, 2016, from www.ruleoneinvesting.com: https://www.ruleoneinvesting.com/blog/how-to-invest/warren-buffett-quotes-on-investing-success/ Woolworths. (2016, 09 12). Environment. Retrieved 09 12, 2019, from www.woolworthslimited.com.au: https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/page/A_Trusted_Company/Environment/ Woolworthslimited. (2016, 09 12). Annual Report. Retrieved 09 12, 2016, from www.woolworthslimited.com.au: https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/icms_docs/182381_Annual_Report_2015.pdf Woolworthslimited. (2016, 09 12). Corporate Responsibility. Retrieved 09 12, 2016, from https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/page/A_Trusted_Company/Corporate_Responsibility/: https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/page/A_Trusted_Company/Corporate_Responsibility/ Woolworthslimited. (2016, 09 12). Reports. Retrieved 09 12, 2016, from www.woolworthslimited.com.au: https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/page/Invest_In_Us/Reports/Reports/ Woolworthslimited. (2016, 09 12). Woolworths Limited. Retrieved 09 10, 2016, from www.woolworthslimited.com.au: https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/page/The_Newsroom/Latest_News/Lean_Retail_Model_to_drive_three-year_growth_plans/ Woolworthslimited. (2016, 09 10). Woolworths Supermarkets. Retrieved 09 10, 2016, from www.woolworthslimited.com.au: https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/page/Who_We_Are/Our_Brands/Supermarkets/Woolworths/.

The KGB A Historical Review

Abstract The KGB was a Russian secret police agency that played a significant role in the totalitarian Soviet Union. This paper engages in an informative discussion of the KGB to highlight the agency’s evolution and its role in Communist Russia. The paper begins by tracing the formation of the KGB to the establishment of the Extraordinary Commission to Combat Counterrevolution in 1917.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The KGB: A Historical Review specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It then traces the numerous evolutions of the organization; from the State Political Directorate (GPU) in 1922, the OGPU in 1923, the NKVD in 1934, and eventually the KGB in 1953. Efforts to decrease the power of the KGB after 1953 proved effective for only a short while. Under the leadership of Andropov, the agency was able to regain its previous prestige and autonomy. The discussion provided clearly reveals that the KGB was a highly penetrative agency that had vast amounts of power over the state and the society. The paper concludes by discussing the activities that led to the collapse of the powerful KGB. Introduction The Russian Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti (KGB) was the Russian secret political police that gained worldwide repute for its efficiency in covert affairs. The KGB is regarded as the â€Å"most efficient political police system in modern history† (Waller 333). Historians record that the KGB system was so effective that other totalitarian states structured their own political police systems after it in order to enhance their grasp of power. This security agency was able to survive for decades and play an instrumental part in reinforcing the position of Communism in Russia. White and Kryshtanovskaya assert that the KGB acted as a guarantor of a system of single-party dominance in Russia (170). Up until its dissolution, the KGB was used as a tool for countering internal and exte rnal threats to the state. To effectively execute its directives, the KGB possessed exceptional powers, which were often abused leading to a repression of individual freedoms and violation of human rights both in Russia and abroad. Considering the huge significance that the KGB had in Russian life for over 8 decades, this paper will endeavor to provide an informative discussion on the KGB. It will discuss the creation and evolution of these security apparatus and highlight the role that it played in Communist Russia. The paper will conclude by highlighting the downfall of this once mighty security apparatus.Advertising Looking for term paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Origins of the KGB The birth of the KGB can be traced to December 1917 when the newly empowered Bolshevik regime in Russia created a police system that was to act as the party’s machine for destroying all opposition (Waller 334). A numb er of the prominent factors in Russia at the time made the formation of a secret political police necessary. To begin with, the Bolshevik party came to power following a coup against the Tsar. During its reign, the Tsar made use of a security service that constantly infiltrated the Bolshevik Party. The Bolshevik party therefore took power in an atmosphere of conspiracy and mistrust with factions being formed and the leadership undermined by party members and non-members. A means for consolidating the Bolshevik’s supremacy was needed and the secret political police provided a solution. Thus, the KGB was founded in 1917 as the Extraordinary Commission to Combat Counterrevolution (Cheka) and the commission was required to fulfill a number of key responsibilities on behalf of the regime. The core responsibility was to stop all attempts and acts of counterrevolution in the motherland and execute judgment over any counterrevolutionary elements without involving the judicial system. The agency was also to work out ways of stopping any rebellious elements and make investigations to help in their suppression. The organization was also mandated to set up surveillance over potential saboteurs and impose sanctions against these enemies of the people. From the initial goal of suppressing the few counterrevolutionary elements in the state, the Cheka expanded its mandate and went into killing political and military opponents of the Bolshevik party. The Cheka operated with total impunity and citizens were publicly executed for minor violations of the rigid laws set in place by the Party (Waller 335). Such atrocities were allowed to happen since they assisted the Bolshevik party in its power consolidation campaign. These actions led to a popular opposition to the Bolshevik party and ordinary citizens expressed resistance to the authoritarian rule. This deep resentment to the Bolshevik party rule across the Russian society led to random attack on party officials by ordin ary citizens and counterrevolutionaries.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The KGB: A Historical Review specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In retaliation to such attacks, the political police apparatus engaged in mass executions and a myriad of terror tactics against innocent civilians. Under Lenin’s rule, the agency carried out executions of entire classes of the population. Population categories such as clergymen, ethnic groups, socialist rivals, and farmers were targeted and killed within a short duration (Waller 335). At the end of the Civil War, the Cheka began to be viewed as a liability. The terrorization that the commission had engaged in during the Civil War made many Russians hate the commission. In addition to his, many Bolshevik leaders were horrified by the actions of the Cheka and they sought to bind its actions in any form of legality. There was therefore an intention to reform the securit y police force and make it more agreeable to the public. The Cheka was therefore abolished and in its place, the State Political Directorate (GPU) was created. This new organization continued carrying out the work of the Cheka albeit under a different name. Knight documents that while the GPU purported to have less power than the Cheka and was actually under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the organization still answered to the Party and maintained all the powers of its predecessor, the Cheka (14). The GPU was separated from the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 1923 and renamed OGPU. A year later, Lenin died and the new leader Stalin started using the OGPU as a weapon against his political rivals. The status of the agency rose with Stalin giving it power above the party apparatus. By giving the agency such great power, Stalin was able to perpetrate great terror on the citizens and an estimated 14.5 million peasants died between 1930 and 1933 (Dziak 38). Stalin continued to use the OGPU to eliminate prominent party figures and Army officials whom he perceived as threats. The OGPU was further restructured by merging it with the interior ministry to create the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD). The NKVD wielded enormous power and Stalin’s dominance of these police apparatus gave him near absolute power in Russia.Advertising Looking for term paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The KGB The death of Stalin on March 1953 necessitated a change in the security organization. The new leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, embarked on a mission to de-Stalinize the country and one of his goals was to diminish the power of the security organs. These reforms were backed by Party leaders who were keen to ensure that the security organization would never again be at the command of one man as it had been under Stalin. The political police system was therefore split and renamed the Committee for State Security (KGB) with loyal communists appointed to run it in order to bring the agency under strict party control (Sakwa 125). The Russian secret political police maintained its new name from 1954 until its final disbanding by Boris Yeltsin in 1991. The KGB was veiled in secrecy and its protocols and budget were kept secret. There was no oversight from the legislative arm of the government and control of the organization rested with top party officials. The deep rel ationship between the KGB and the Party can be seen from the fact that the heads of the KGB top organs were highly placed members of the Party. A significant difference between the KGB and its predecessor the NKVD was that the surveillance abilities of the KGB were curtailed. Specifically, the KGB was forbidden from spying on Party officers or carrying out operations against them. The Party officials enforced these restrictions since they wanted to remove the danger to themselves that the police system had presented under Stalin’s reign. The powers of the agency were also reduced and government officials such as judges and the State procurators were placed out of KGB reach. During Khrushchev’s rule, the KGB was placed under strict party control. Even so, the agency was still used as a tool by Khrushchev to gain control within the party. Without support from the KGB, Khrushchev was successfully deposed in 1964 and Brezhnev took his post as Party Secretary. After Brezhne v took over, KGB leadership was reshuffled with some of the agency’s responsibilities being given to the Party. The KGB was placed under even firmer Party control leading to a period of relative tranquility and stability for the party and the KGB. The KGB was not only responsible for domestic security intelligence but also foreign intelligence. As such, this agency was involved in numerous intelligence and counterintelligence activities. Fleron and Hoffmann contend that the KGB operated the world’s largest and most far-reaching foreign intelligence apparatus with numerous intelligence officers being placed in most Western nations (467). The KGB did not have trouble recruiting personnel for its foreign missions since the high salaries acted as adequate incentives for the vast pool of eligible Russian youths. The US was the target of most of the KGB’s intelligence gathering efforts and up to 40% of Soviet officials engage in intelligence gathering were placed in t he US (Fleron and Hoffmann 467). The Andropov Era A new era for the KGB emerged under the leadership of Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov from 1964 to 1982. Dziak documents that the agency experienced a remarkable transformation during the leadership of Andropov (52). The KGB’s power had been significantly weakened in the years following the death of Stalin. The agency no longer commanded the authority and influence that it had exerted from its formation in 1917. Albats and Fitzpatrick articulate the revolutionary nature of Andropov’s leadership by noting that â€Å"it was precisely with the coming of Andropov, that the KGB once again became the state within a state it had been in the pre-Khrushchev era† (176). Steps were taken to professionalize the KGB by raising educational standards among recruits and establishing numerous scientific and research facilities. Andropov’s era in the KGB was marked by a greater orientation towards electronic espionage. Because of this, the KGB played a role in the technological advancement of Russia’s military during the 1980s. Through its intelligence network, the agency collected significant Western military technology and this was passed on to the relevant military entities who used it to improve the soviet military. The success of these collection efforts lightened the burden on Soviet research and improved the technical performance of Soviet military equipment (Fleron and Hoffmann 469). Because of these professionalization efforts, the KGB took on additional roles within the Communist party. In addition to the security roles fulfilled by the organization, it started to perform ideological, governance, and economic roles. Intensified crackdown on dissidents was also carried out through an expansive labor camp system and increased surveillance of Soviet society (Dziak 159). The KGB developed a countrywide system of secret informants completely infiltrated the society. These informants reported i ncidents of even the slightest dissent and retaliatory action was taken against the offenders. To create an atmosphere of unease and apprehension, the KGB encouraged voluntary informers in every segment of Russian society. The voluntary informers proved to be a valuable asset since they gave the impression that the organization possessed an all-seeing eye. In this way, the KGB was able to isolate the individual to the extent that people could not trust each other. The KGB had been demoted in 1956 but through Andropov’s efforts, the KGB was once again elevated to ministry status in 1978 and this gave the agency jurisdiction all over the USSR. In addition to this, the Soviet Constitution was amended which made cooperation with the KGB a duty of all Soviet citizens. Failing to comply with the KGB was a crime against the state and severe penalties were served to offenders. These new powers allowed Andropov to instigate a highly sophisticated system of control within the USSR. And ropov was able to reinvent the KGB as an uncorrupt institution that was necessary for the stability of the state. By the late 1970s, the KGB began an intensive crackdown on corruption in the country. Many investigations were carried out and party officials were implicated in scandals. Deriabin and Bagley report that these ambitious crackdowns against corrupt party officials signaled the height of the KGB’s power with its leader, Andropov, being seen as a likely candidate for Party leadership (85). Andropov’s death in 1984 marked an end to the recreation of the counterintelligence state that Andropov had successfully achieved in less than two decades. The KGB during Gorbachev’s Leadership Following Andropov’s death, the KGB remained instrumental in Party affairs and it played a role in the appointment of Chernenko as the new General Secretary. When Chernenko died in 1985, the KGB backed Gorbachev who took the position of General Secretary. Ebon documents t hat Gorbachev came to power with KGB backing and in his first years in power, his policies were but fresh implementations of Andropov’s blueprint (39). Considering the relationship between Gorbachev and the KGB, Gorbachev tried to make use of the secret police while avoiding the danger of being used by it. Gorbachev and the KGB chief Chebriko fell out in 1988 owing to a difference in opinion between the two. Gorbachev wanted to reform the state and the KGB to adhere to liberal principles. Chebriko considered liberal principles an attack on the state and felt that authoritarian control from the top was necessary to stabilize the country (Ebon 40). Chebriko disapproved of some of Gorbachev’s actions including the freeing of the distinguished dissident Andrei Sakharov who had been under KGB house arrest. These differences led to the replacement of Chebriko by Kryuchkov who would remain hold the position of KGB chief until 1991. Kryuchkov did not hinder the political and l egal reforms that Gorbachev embarked on. Demise of the KGB The KGB’s demise was initiated by the series of changes initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev to reform the USSR. Before the creation of a standing parliament by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1989, few people dared to challenge the KGB. Individuals who called for change in the KGB were mostly dissidents and the international human rights community. White and Kryshtanovskaya observe that these changes saw the KGB placed under the scrutiny of a parliamentary committee. The agency’s finances were placed under the control of the state auditor with an official budget of the KGB being made public (169). The KGB began to adopt a more public oriented approach and it even opened a public relations office in 1991. By late 1991, the surveillance capabilities of the KGB were curtailed and the agency made a public announcement that it would no longer engage in the invasive practice of monitoring conversations of private citizens. In spite of these changes to fit in with the times, the KGB was heavily implicated in the attempted coup of August 1991. The Chairman of the agency, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Kryuchkov, was a prominent member of the abortive coup and he was accused of organizing a crime against the state (White and Kryshtanovskaya 170). Because of this, the KGB was placed under the jurisdiction of the Russian presidency and by October, the agency had altogether disappeared. It was replaced by a group of new security agencies that were headed by reformers. Conclusion This paper set out to provide an in-depth discussion of the infamous political enforcement system, the KGB. The paper began by providing a historical overview of the agency. It traced the agency’s history with a detailed review of the KGB’s predecessors. The paper has outlined how KGB officials on orders from party leadership engaged in the murder of innocent people, deprived citizens of basic freedoms and created a society of spies a nd informers. Through these activities, the KGB was able to play the role of guarantor of single-party dominance in Russia. In addition to the intelligence services in the country, the KGB was also reputed for its espionage abroad. The paper has also discussed how the KGB was able to engage in internal and external changes to remain important in Russian leadership. It concluded by highlighting the events that led to the eventual demise of the once powerful secret political police organization. From the discussions presented in the paper, it is clear that the KGB did not serve society; rather it served the ruling party and its leaders. The Russian leaders were able to successfully keep the KGB powerful and effective while at the same time maintaining its loyalty and subservience. Works Cited Albats, Yevgenia and Catherine A. Fitzpatrick. The state within a state: The KGB and its hold on Russia – Past, Present, and Future. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994. Print. Deria bin, Peter, and Bagley Tahid. The KGB: Masters of the Soviet Union. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1990. Print. Dziak, John. Chekistry: A history of the KGB. Lexington: Lexington Books, 1988. Print. Ebon, Martin. KGB: Death and Rebirth. NY: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994. Print. Fleron, Fredric and Erik Hoffmann. Soviet Foreign Policy, 1917-1991: Classic and Contemporary Issues. Boston: Transaction Publishers, 1991. Print. Knight, Amy. The KGB: Police and Politics in the Soviet Union. Boston: Unwin Hyman, 1990. Print. Sakwa, Richard. Soviet Politics: In Perspective. NY: Routledge, 1998. Print. Waller, Michael. â€Å"Russia: Death and Resurrection of the KGB†. Demokratizatsiya 12.3 (2004): 333-355. EBSCOHost.com. Web. White, Stephen and Ol’ga Kryshtanovskaya. â€Å"Public attitudes to the KGB: A research note†. Europe-Asia Studies 45.1 (1993): 169-176. Print. This term paper on The KGB: A Historical Review was written and submitted by user Christina Wagner to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Buying Wholesale Electronics

Buying Wholesale Electronics Free Online Research Papers Selling wholesale electronics might be a great business especially among young customers who love appliances. This is a certain fire way to earn money. Yet, you require to know how to purchase wholesale electronics inorder to raise you can get the best deal and healthy returns, so provide yourself with cognition and sense over decision making ablity for right selection . Presenting here are some useful tips for your absulote accuracy. It is favorable to buy locally in your own state than to buy overseas. Purchasing overseas has more disadvantages than benefits. For one, you require to pay for the shipping fee, which can be really huge if you purchase wholesale electronics from the overseas sides of the world. Also, other nations have their own quality and buyer regulations. You are not sure if they would meet your states own regulations. Finally, it takes a long span of time to ship products from different country than that of yours. So to save yourself from these worries, simply purchase being locally. Be suspicious of wholesalers who are dealing outdated or last years models of electronic products. Some companies sell their last year goods with old model products for a cheaper price just to dispose them because the newest and current merchandises have just been embarked to them by the producers of innovative electronics. The less told correct condition for this is closeout, not really wholesale. Closeout wares are usually less expensive than wholesale products. And unless you desire to trade old patterns of electronic appliances, you may want to bond to purchasing wholesale electronics. Acknowledge the specifications of the electronic products that you want to purchase. Wholesalers have not much cognition about this, so it all reckons on to you. Before you inspect any maker or fabricators, make sure that you have in your mind a list of goods you are looking for. Electronic gadgets must be shipped containing warranty. This way, you and your buyer are protected if the something suddenly went wrong with the product. Ask the wholesaler about warranty scheme or if they have some kind of undertakings or arrangements earlier you bargain their product Electronic gadgets must be shipped containing warranty. This way, you and your buyer are protected if the something suddenly went wrong with the product. Ask the wholesaler about warranty scheme or if they have some kind of undertakings or arrangements earlier you bargain their product Research Papers on Buying Wholesale ElectronicsRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanDefinition of Export QuotasMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAW

Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Biology - Essay Example t is taking place however, is that the overabundance of harmful gases which are a byproduct of fossil fuels, are causing a latticing effect to take place in the ozone layer. The earth’s ozone layer is necessary in order to filter out the sun’s excessive and destructive ultra violet rays. As the ozone layer becomes more and more compromised, the areas of the globe governed by cold temperatures (such as the arctic) are literally rising in temperature causing the melting of polar ice caps. As these ice caps melt and merge into the ocean, warm water oceanic areas are being cooled down to unnaturally low temperatures. This results in a drastic rise in natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. On a short term level, the animals that inhabit the arctic are finding their environment less and less suitable. Fish are dying due to the drastic oceanic temperature changes while animals like penguins and polar bears are finding less and less available fish. When discussing global warming, the topic of precautionary principle becomes extremely relevant as well. The precautionary principle is essentially a moral principle with political ramifications, which allows for necessary action in the face of possible danger to public health or the environment even without scientific confirmation or agreed substantiation of the threat from the scientific community. In other words, global warming is certainly a global issue and an obvious threat, regardless of the fact that many with conservative view points, argue its validity. Because of this, it is in the world’s best interest to act in a manner which is airing on the side of precaution, in the best interest of pandemic survival. Normal proof policies would indicate that proof rooted in scientific fact is necessary but without exiting the confines of science. The precautionary principle allows for a lack of scientific proof and more of a suspicion with some confirmation based on observati on or

Benefites and drawbacks of the internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Benefites and drawbacks of the internet - Essay Example Internet is just like an ocean of knowledge for all the people. But the problem is that this ocean consists of good and evils. Only the matured persons will be able to select and segregate good things from internet whereas immature people always fell in to this ocean as victims of the bad things. This paper briefly analyses the advantages and disadvantages of internet. â€Å"Internet can provide explicit sex and violence related materials which can harm the development of modern generation. Exhibitions of genitals, the use or sale of weapons, illegal drug sale, illegal gambling, alcohol consumption, explicit violence against people or animals including hate crimes, tobacco use etc are some of the major disadvantages of using internet. One of the major reasons for juvenile offenses is the influence of internet upon children. Segregation of good and evils is difficult for kids because of the growth of sex hormones at the adolescent period. It is easy for the juveniles to watch movies filled with violence and sexual activities using internet websites like YouTube. Internet is a paradise for gamblers and antisocial elements. Credit card forgery, phishing like internet scams are increasing day by day and even intelligent adults fall victims of such cheaters. It is easy for such tricksters to cheat the kids, if the parents fail to put an eye on their child’s activities in internet. Another major disadvantage of internet is the threat of viruses. â€Å"Over 50% of all companies report being hit by a virus each year. Over 20% of all computers are currently infected with spyware† (Computer Internet Security). In short, many companies are facing severe problems in keeping their data safe in their computers because of the virus threat from internet. Internet addiction may sometimes reduce the thinking ability of a child. Children will use internet for everything and the readily available information may result in seldom usage of their brains. The growth of mental

The Salmonella Outbreak In Usa Commerce Essay

The Salmonella Outbreak In Usa Commerce Essay The Peanut Corporation of America was formally a family-owned peanut processing business and maker of peanut butter for bulk distribution to institutions, food service industries, and private label food companies. The company was founded in 1977 by Stewart Parnell along with his father, Hugh, and two younger brothers, Hugh, Jr. and Mike (Business Yellow Page, 2009). The company was headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia, where they started the business working out of their home (Business Yellow Page, 2009). By 1994 the family turned a slow growing peanut roasting operation into a company with sales that surpassed 30 million dollars and employed over 95 permanent employees (Business Yellow Page, 2009). In 1995 the business was sold to a large commodities corporation while Parnells father, Hugh, retired from the peanut industry (Business Yellow Page, 2009). Stewart Parnell and his two brothers were kept as management consultants by the companys new corporate owner (Business Yellow Page 2009). The company manufactured roughly 2.5 percent of the nations processed peanuts (Chapman Newkirk, 2009). Stewart Parnell served as a peanut-quality adviser to the U.S. Department of Agriculture until he was removed from the board Februay of 2009 (Chapman Newkirk, 2009). PCA operated processing facilities located in Blakely, Georgia; Suffolk, Virginia; and Plainview, Texas (Business Yellow Page, 2009). As indicated by Layton and Miroff (2009), PCA supplied ingredients to some of the biggest names on supermarket shelves: Kellogg, Sara Lee, Little Debbie. The federal government was a customer, too, buying his peanuts for poor school children, disaster victims and military troops. PCAs products were not sold directly to consumers, but shipped to other manufactures that used their products as ingredients to make cookies, crackers, pet treats, energy bars, ice cream, and other products (Consumer Affairs 2009). Products ranged from peanut butter, peanut paste and peanut oil (msnbc, 2009). Peanut Corporation of Americas scandal began when the company allegedly shipped its peanut butter products knowing they could be contaminated with salmonella which resulted in the outbreak of 2008 (McCormick, 2009). According to Mundy (2009), who interviewed Ron Simon a criminal trial Lawyer for victims of PCA negligence, remarks that PCA knowingly shipped contaminated products which were positively tested for salmonella by two independent labs the company hired. These contaminated shipments were sent to nursing homes, school cafeterias, grocery stores and wholesale outlets. Since the beginning of the peanut salmonella outbreak in September 2008, more than 714 people became ill in 46 U.S. states and one Canadian province, which contributed to at least 9 deaths (Lawyers and Settlements.com, 2009). Its among the largest recalls that weve had, said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDAs Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (msnbc, 2009). The illness was traced back to the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) processing plants in Blakely, GA and Plainview, TX according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Lawyers and Settlements.com, 2009). PCA was no stranger to of selling contaminated products; its Blakely plant was discovered with salmonella in 2006 as a possible result of imported organic peanuts from China according to a letter released by the committee on Nov. 2, 2006 (Zhang and Jargon, 2009). Mr. Parnell was also informed via letter by Darlene Cowart, President of JLA USA testing service that it was likely that the organic peanuts imported from Chinese could be a source for microbial hazards based on the type of fertilizers that was used on the organic product (Zhang and Jargon, 2009). Ms. Cowart also testified that Peanut Corp. samples were tested positive for salmonella between 2007 and 2008 (Zhang and Jargon, 2009). FDA requested a recall for all products containing peanut butter, peanut paste and peanut oil manufactured since January 1, 2007, at the Blakely, Georgia processing center (msnbc, 2009). Federal inspectors found mold, roaches and a leaking roof at the Georgia peanut factory, Dow Jones Newswires reports (Rubenstei, 2009). There are two forms of stakeholders in business ethics, specifically, primary and secondary stakeholders which the Peanut Corporation of Americas case affected. Primary stakeholders are necessary for a firms survial and include employees, customers, investors, shareholders, as well as, businesses, large or small (such as small businesses that used PCAs product as raw material to make product and later market to consumers) (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2008, p. 32). Whereas, secondary stakeholders are not essential for a companys survival; these include the media, trade association and special-interest groups (for example, the American Association of Retired People AARP) (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2008, p. 32). Two primary stakeholders at PCA were Stewart Parnell, president and CEO, and Sammy Lightsey, the plant manager of the Blakely, Georgia plant . Several email were exchanged between Parnell, Lightsey (plant manager of Blakely, GA) and Mary Wilkerson (employee at the Blakely plant) regarding batches of peanut products that tested positive for salmonella by two independent laboratories, J. Leek Associates being one company and Deibel being the other and ignored (Committee on Energy and Commerce 2009). Because of this many stakeholders, both primary and secondary were affected by Peanut Corporation of Americas unethical decision-making. The medias impact on the Peanut Corporation of America brought awareness to members of the community by revealing incidents of PCA as it become known, brought awareness to consumers about the actions of PCA. Managers should be mindful of secondary stakeholders and express thoughtfulness in making ethical decisions. In general, both primary and secondary stakeholders embrace specific values and standards which govern anything that is deemed acceptable or unacceptable corporate behaviors (Ferrell, Fraedrich Ferrell, pp.32-33). Peanut Corporation of America was sued by American Candy Company after the FDA discovered in 1990 that Peanut Corporation of Americas peanut butter exceeded the FDA tolerance level for aflatoxin, a toxic mold (Blackwell, 2009). Another lawsuit against Peanut Corporation of America was brought by Zachary Confections, Inc. of Frankfort, Indiana in 1991 after a 40,020-pound shipment of nuts from Peanut Corporation of America was found to have an unacceptably high l evel of aflatoxin (Blackwell, 2009). Because of the unethical decisions made by PCA in January of 2009, all but three of the 46 employees at the Blakely plant were laid off (wsbtv.com 2, 2009). And on February 12, 2009 the Plainview, Texas plant, which employeed approximately 30 employees, was ordered to shut down by the state health officials (Relative, 2009). These employees, because of their assocation with PCA, lost their jobs. On Janaury 10, 2009, another primary stakeholder, the Solon, OH based King Nut Company, recalled its King Nut and Parnells Pride peanut butter brands that were manufactured by PCA to a distribution chain involving institutions such as hospitals, schools, restaurants and nursing homes (Ashcraft Gerel, LLP, 2009). Now PCAs insurer, Hartford Insurance has filed a lawsuit against PCA to determine if they are responsible for claims filed by victims of this nationwide salmonella outbreak and has asked the court to determine whether the terms of the companys policy exclude coverage for salmonella c laims, along with its obligation to Peanut Corp. (Lindsey, 2009). Peanut Corporation of Americas dishonest behavior seriously affected the primary stakeholders because of the unethical decisions made by the companys leaders and partners of the corporation. The unethical decisions as stated earlier by PCA negatively affected the lives of their employees by the loss of their jobs and the disgrace of being previously employed by PCA put employees in an insecure situation with potential employers. In this situation the people that were sicken, the people that died, the states that were affected, and the companies that had to recall products were all stakeholders in one form or another. Investors and shareholders who gave out money to PCA were also affected by the indiscretions of PCAs mismanagement. Executives and managers of PCA shared in a large gamble which impacted and changed the lives of many individuals and corporations both large and small. Peanut Corporation of America, the company at the center of the nationwide salmonella scare, filed for Chapter 7 in February 2009 (Miroff and Lyndsey, 2009). The filing of bankruptcy negatively affected its investors and shareholders. Others affected by the bankruptcy are secondary stakeholders; government, management agencies and the media. The government was negatively impacted in taxation because of plant closures in the form of income tax and lost sales tax because of lost product sales. The Peanut Corporation of America had its general liability insurance with The Hartford Casualty Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut. According to Simon (2009),  PCA has $24 million dollars in insurance from The Hartford Casualty Insurance Company which is specifically dedicated to  covering  the food poisoning claims. The insurance coverage is broken up into two policy periods, 10/1/07 9/30/08 and 10/1/08 9/30/09 (Simon, 2009). The The Hartford Casualty Insurance Company rushed to court to limit what it might have to pay on lawsuits (Levick, 2009).They asked a federal court in Virginia to determine what the responsibility is on three years of policies that was issued to PCA (Levick, 2009). Legal analysis The Peanut Corporation of Americas lack of respect and nonconformity for the consumer protection laws was one of the key legal issues relating to the salmonella outbreak. That was one of the contributing factor that led them to be non-compliant with the law. Another, the corporations primary focus was that of making profit and showing complete disregard for consumers and the law thereof. According to Mundy (2009), PCA avoided taking necessary safety measures in safeguarding its facilities which resulted in leaking roofs. Not only did that PCA spend $60,000 in August 2008 to repair a leaky roof in the plant, Ron Simon a trial lawyer stated that the roof was already leaking bird feces before it was repairedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, a clear indication that PCA allegedly failed to maintain proper conditions and practices conducive for managing safety protocols at their facilities (Mundy, 2009). Consumer Protection is government regulations to protect the interests of consumers (Lawyers.com, 2009) . The law refers to state and federal consumer protection and product safety statutes and regulatons that restrict or prohibit deceptive trade practices such as the Consumer Protection Act (Lawyers.com, 2009). The Federal Trade Commission is the main agency enforcing consumer protection statutes (Lawyers.com, 2009). It was established in 1914, for the purpose of supporting consumer protection to drive and control unfair or harmful business practices; it exercises consumer rights and prevents them from being swindled and aids against fraud and deception and enables consumers to make well-informed decisions about products and how they spend their money (www.ftc.gov). The state courts (and some federal courts) in the 1930s placed restrictions on the freedom-to-contract doctrine by establishing rules of public policy and doctrines of unconscionability and fundamental breach that allow the courts to interfere in contractual relationships (Brennan, Browne Kubasek, pp.772). Likewise, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established in the 1930s, as a part of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services to regulate products which accounted for approximately 25% of the U.S gross national prod uct. As stated by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. The companys actions can only be described as reprehensible and criminal, not only did this company knowingly sell tainted products, it shopped for a laboratory that would provide the acceptable results they were seeking. This behavior represents the worst of our current food safety regulatory system (KDKA2, 2009). The company had previously told the FDA that some lots of peanut butter had initially tested positive for the bacterium, then were retested and found to be negative before they were shipped. But further investigation showed that the company actually shipped some of the lots before the second tests were completed. Other lots were shipped without testing and, in some cases, no second test was performed even after the first one came back positive (Maugh and Engel, 2009). The company did not initially disclose that to investigators trying to solve the current salmonella outbreak (KDKA2, 2009). The FDA did not formally announce the new findings about the companys testing, but rather made small revisions Thursday to an online report about the investigation (Maugh and Engel, 2009. It was only when a Washington Post reporter discovered the changes and the news become more widely known (Maugh and Engel, 2009). Ethical Analysis The Peanut Corporation bottom line was to make a profit and not care about social responsibility to the public. The company continued to ship product they knew was contaminated. T he ethical behavior of the company and Stewart Parnell was to keep production going no matter at what cost. This transmitted a lack of morals and value by upper management by keeping their employees working and meeting their shipping demands. The company also continued to run his plants in an unclean manner which put consumer food safety at risk. There are three ethical perspectives that I will focus on as they exhibit both ethical and unethical behavior. The first being consequential theory, this theory brings out questions of moral issues. Under the consequential theory acts are judged ethically good or bad based on whether the acts have achieved their desired results and the acts are looked at as right or wrong on whether the results can be rationalized (Kubasek, Brennan Browne, 2009, p. 223). When examining the scandal of the Peanut Corporation of America the consequential utilitarianism school of thought can be applied. Stewart Parnell thought process can be viewed as being both ethical and unethical. The main issue in this case study was Parnell shipping products that were tainted. For the argument of ethics it could be assumed that Parnell was seeking the best interest of his company to obtain a profit. Parnells rational included keeping and production flowing and employees working while, the unethical can be argued that a desired outcome was not obtained as a result of the deaths and illnesses of consumers and inability for Peanut Corporation of American to remain in business. Parnell should have had a strategy in place that should have been customers first then his employees. The second ethical perspective is the deontological theory which is derived from the Greek word meaning ethics refers to moral philosophies that focus on the rights of individuals and on the intentions associated with a particular behavior rather than on its consequences (Ferrell, Fraedich, Ferrell, 2008, p.153). Deontological theory is also from the Greek word duty, in which actions can be judged ethically good or bad based on rules and principles arrived at by human reason regardless of the action and whether net happiness is reached (Kubasek, Brennan Browne, 2009, p. 225). Based on email that Mary Wilkerson sent to Stewart Parnell on June 6, 2008, Peanut Corporation of American used two outside laboratories for testing (Committee on Energy and Commerce, 2009). Because Peanut Corporation of American testested and re-tested their producted until they received the results they needed, this could be considered ethical or unethical. Ethical because Mr. Parnell needed to receive a neg ative result so that he could continue his production and shipping of his product. It also could be a means of the company double checking results for consumer protection. On the other hand because Parnell sent samples to multiple laboratories until they found their desired results of the product testing to be negative for salmnella poisioning could be considered unethical. An facet of the deontological theory is that a person should engage only in acts that he or she could see becoming a universal standard (Kubasek, Brennan Browne, 2009, p. 225). Another email sent to Sammy Lightsey from Parnell also shows Parnells unethical behavior. According to the email Parnell sent to Sammy Lightsey, he instructed Sammy to ship the tainted product by stating, okay, lets turn them loose then (Committee on Energy and Commerce, 2009). The third school of thought, humanist theory, where actions are evaluated as ethically good or bad based on whether they contribute to improving inherent human capacities as it pertains to intelligence, wisdom, and self restraint (Browne, Brennan, Kubasek, p.226). According to the USDA, Parnells previous position on the U.S. Department of Agricultures Peanut Standards Boards, which sets the quality and handling standards, intended to assure that satisfactory quality and wholesome peanuts are used in the domestic and import peanut markets (Keefe, 2009). Parnell was first appointed to the USDAs Peanut Standards Board in July 2005 and was reappointed for another term that would have expired in 2011 (Keefe, 2009). On February 5, 2009, the USDA announced that the new Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had removed Parnell from the board (Akre, 2009). Mr. Parnells ethical behavior based on the humanist theory put him in a great position to help improve quality and handling standards for pea nuts grown and marketed domestically and imported. Parnells unethical behavior could be considered as a conflict of interest because he did not follow those standards within his own company, which caused his own plants to suffer miserably in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions. It is obvious that Parnell didnt have the understanding, Knowledge, intelligence or even discipline to run a processing plant. Contributing Factors The companys culture encouraged unethical behavior and did everything to undermine anything ethical, stemming from sanitation conditions from the beginning because of the history of the overall business operation and that of Mr. Parnells upbringing. David Brooks, a former buyer for a snack company who was familiar with the conditions of PCAs business operation (Layton Miroff, 2009, p.2). Brooks also noted that on three occasions in the mid 1980s, he inspected PCAs Gorman plant to determine whether to buy its peanut products and each time, he gave the plant a failing grade (Layton Miroff, 2009, p. 2). According to Brooks, It was just filthy; Dust was all over the beams, the braces of the building. The roofs leaked, the windows would be open, and birds would fly through the building . . . It was just a time bomb waiting to go off, and everybody in the peanut industry in Georgia, Virginia and Texas they all knew (Layton and Miroff, 2009). According to two former Blakely employees, one recalls opening a tote of peanuts at the processing plant in this small Georgia town and seeing baby mice in it. It was filthy and nasty all around the place, (Glover, 2009). Unethical behavior of upper management and Stewart Parnell were more concerned about profits instead of the lives of the consumers who were vulnerable to harm and the employees who were deliberately deceived about the true results of the contaminated products. The PCA Georgia Plant contributed to the sanitation problem. There were ethical issues throughout the plant that lead to the tainted products. There were peanuts stored next to the finished peanut butter (Smalley, 2009). The roaster they used was not calibrated to kill deadly germs (Smalley, 2009). Dispirited workers on minimum wage, supplied by temp agencies, donned their uniforms at home, potentially dragging contaminants into the plant, which also had rodents (Smalley, 2009). The roof of the PCA plant in Georgia leaked when it rained which is a big risk; given that salmonella thrives in water and the facility should have been dry (Smalley, 2009). The Federal officials in Texas did not even know PCAs Plainview facility existed until after they started investigating the Blakely plant (Layton Miroff, 2009). It was unlicensed and had been uninspected by the government for four years (Layton Miroff, 2009). This company has shown a manner of disrespect for the consumer right laws and obvious disregard for consumer safety that filtered from the top of the corporation down through management. The impatience of not waiting on the results of the test and conducting several re-test to obtain a favorable result was in poor judgment and a sure sign that problems were being ignored and standardized procedures were not being followed by these leaders. They were comfortable wallowing in filth and infestations within their food processing plants for thirty years. Thats a culture that will and did breed all types of legal and unethical problems that was bound to catch up with them. It seemed that they all lacked insight and did not think thoroughly about the results of their actions or to make ethical decisions. They may not have cared about the Consumer Protection Law but they should have been worried about Murphys Law. Ethical decision factors to consider There are three factors to be addressed relating to the ethical theories previously discussed in this case analysis. Based on perspectives of consequential theory where acts are judged as ethically good or bad based on whether the acts have achieved their desired results (Brennan, Browne, Kubasek, 2009, p. 223-224). Under the consequential theory this ethical issue reiterates Parnells actions for shipping products that he knew was contaminated, to keep production flowing and their plants making a profit. The company also had a lack of concern for the consumers health and management continued filling orders with tainted products. The golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, is the hallmark of the deontological theory (Brennan, Browne, Kubasek, 2009, p. 225). Under the deontological theory the ethical issue was lab shopping. Parnells persistence of conducting multiple tests in order to obtain results pleasing to his satisfaction without thought of the unforeseen consequences. The ethical decision factor to be considered in this situation is the need for ethical policies for quality control checking. All companies should have this process in place for products we consume. This way it wont be misinterpreted as lab shopping. And the third school of thought, humanist theory evaluated actions s good or bad depending on whether they contribute to improving inherent human capacities such as intelligence, wisdom, and self-restraint (Brennan, Brown, Kubasek, 2009, p. 226). Under the humanist theory the ethical issue was Parnells conflict of interest based on his previous held position on the U.S. Department of Agricultures Peanut Standards Boards. The ethical decision factors to be considered in this situation are showing little intelligence, wisdom or self-restrain, sitting on the board that he was clearly not qualified for. Recommended corrective action Outbreaks of salmonella are not unfamiliar to the FDA and Peanut Corporation of America was not the first company to be confronted with this issue. In 2005, a ConAgra Foods factory in Georgia was inspected by the FDA due to complaints about a salmonella contamination (Glover, 2009). Spinach contaminated with salmonella followed by peppers and tomatoes was the big scare of 2006 (Shvartsman, 2009). In June, 2009, Nestle Toll House cookie dough and 380,000 pounds of beef produced by JBS Swift Beef Company were recalled due to E. coli contamination (Shvartsman, 2009). Peanut Corporation of America filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection and closed its doors and is now in legal proceedings (Miroff Layton, 2009). ConAgra can be considered the industry leader in setting examples for what should be done when product may be tainted. Therefore, there should be no reason why Peanut Corporation would not know how what to do in a situation such as this. PCA like ConAgra could have voluntarily issued recall voluntarily upon learning about the products which were tested positively for salmonella. PCA could have prevented this tragic end to its business and the lives of those lost if they had attempted to rectify the situation properly and address the root of the problems which were many. It may be too late for implementation of a corrective action for Peanut Corporation of America, but not too late for a corrective action for the remainder of the food processing industry. Food processing plants and warehouses should base their policies and procedures off the guidelines for food safety set forth by the Food and Drug Administration. As part of a new regulation, Obama administration is working on toughening food safety standards. A bill that recommends a proactive stance in preventing food contamination was approved by the House (Shvartsman, 2009). The bill will step up inspections of high risk facilities every six months, or at least once a year (Shvartsman, 2009). This change will dramatically lower food recalls. The final regulation will come in the fall when the Senate votes on the bill (Shvartsman, 2009). The House voted to empower the FDA to order recalls (Shvartsman, 2009). Food safety advocates have been lobbying Congress to give the FDA more regulatory power over the food supply, a vast and growing network crossing state lines and international borders (Shvartsman, 2009). As stated earlier PCA had plants in Georgia, Texas and Virginia. This new bill will provide the FDA the power to police companies that have locations in multiple states (Shvartsman, 2009). PCA was unlikely to remain in business given Mr. Parnells inherent behavior along with those who were a part of his management. PCA was unlikely to remain in business under the direction of Stewart Parnell. Parnells inherent behavior along with those who were a part of his management did not act in an ethical manner towards the community. Mr. Parnell consistently put profits ahead of public safety and acted in a manner that proved to be detrimental to society. Therefore, it can be concluded that PCA lacked business ethics and morals and how they portrayed the companys image and conveyed disregard for their employees and members of the community.