What is Microeconomics

In Incentives, Commitments, and Habit Formation in Exercise: Evidence from a Field Experiment with Workers at a Fortune-500 Company study a wellness incentive program implemented at a large corporate headquarters office. Three groups of employees were given different types of financial incentives to visit the on-site fitness center, and their gym-going behavior was monitored for many months afterward. The incentives were that a set of employees received $10 per gym visit over 1 month. After the month was over then they were offered a 2 month contract to continue going with a little bit of a twist, to see the effect of it. How does a commitment contract work? The employee puts down a certain amount of money, they get to choose the amount. If they don't stick to their commitment, they lose the money. They need to be able to go to the gym every 2 weeks over the next 2 months. It is all about risk vs commitment. How much do you really want this, do you want to see personal growth in yourself, are you doing it just so you don't lose the money, it is all in your hands the way you decide to play it. Why would anyone want to take up this offer, the best possible result is breaking even? This was made to differentiate between your long-term preferences vs the short-term preferences. You may set a schedule saying I'm going Monday and Friday every week. You go Monday and you feel great after going and are excited to continue on Friday. You make it to Friday and you make plans with your friends instead of having your gym time. It was a long week so you want to have a good time. You should be able to reward yourself after a long week but do you think that you would feel even better and have a better time out if you went to the gym beforehand. With having this contract, say you know you haven't been to the gym in 13 days and you need to go tomorrow or you lose your money. That might push people to get to the gym, not just for the money but that specific trip could make them want to keep going back in the long run. So the best-case scenario for a commitment contract is not just breaking even: its changing behavior in a positive way. About 1 out of every 8 employees offered a chance to create a commitment contract decided to do it (Royer, Stehr, & Sydnor, 2015). Below are the results of the commitment contract subjects. It was shown that there was a spark in the gym visits more for the group who signed the contracts than when they were offered the $10 per visit. With the contract you are putting your own money on the line. You have something to lose if you don't hold up your end of the bargain. In the long run it is not about the money, it is about your lifestyle and goals. You have things you want to achieve and sometimes you just need a little nudge to get you going. After the 2 month commitment ended, it was wanted to be known the long term effects of the subjects. It was shown that they had noticeably more frequent gym visits on average. Main Hypothesis:Does linking incentives to fitness really help you get to the gym more?Why is it that after the free trial period ends that most of the memberships decline? Why do people not continue on? See no results? Have no incentives?Commitment devices (Fitbit/ Apple Watch) may be the best way to achieve long-term changes New Year's resolutions for most seem to be about Eating healthier, go to the gym more, and cut out sugar, most of health/Fitness related. Get statistics on the New Year's resolutions. How may are making this there resolution and how many actually keep this resolution. 45% of people said that there 2018 resolution was to lose weight/get in shape Fitbit (27.4 million users) and My Fitness Pal (19.1 million users) are 2 of the most used fitness trackers in 2018 Only 8% of people keep their resolutions. People tend to over set goals. When they are too big to reach, you tend to fail. You also don't want to under set your goals because you may be able to reach them too easily and not get the results out of them that you had really hoped. If you fail at your goal, that doesn't mean you should give up. You just have to reevaluate the goal. You want to get back out there achieve your goals. Ex. You said you wanted to go to the gym 4 days a week, but that was too much with your schedule, you shouldn't quit all together just go 2 days a week instead. Sources:https://www.statista.com/statistics/378105/new-years-resolution/https://www.statista.com/statistics/650748/health-fitness-app-usage-usa/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-years-resolutions-psychology_us_5862d599e4b0d9a59459654cEconomic Concepts: Everything is in the incentives, put it all out there.54864132751300Supply describes the total amount of a specific good or service that is available to consumers (Something needed or wanted) available to someone. (Market driven)People want a membership, they want to achieve their fitness goals, and they want to be a better version of themselvesDemand consumer's desire and willingness to pay a price for a specific good or service.Cost of membership may increase as more member sign up In the study- they had to put up their own money, they were able to risk for their goals45720036575900 Cost – (of an object or an action) require the payment of (a specified sum of money) before it can be acquired or done. The money they had to put up, their time, their energy, their commitment Benefit -an advantage or profit gained from something. Better body, feel good about themselves, achieved goalsBottom linehttps://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/11/five-economic-concepts-need-to-kno w.aspConcluding thoughts Reading articles, writing this essay has got me thinking about my fitness goals and lifestyle. I own a Fitbit and I do enjoy it but I need to get back to using it for all of its features and feeling proud of what I have accomplished in a day. You need to be persistent and have goals. You can't just decide one day to start working out. You need a plan and be physically and mentally ready to conquer the task you set up for yourself. You need an incentive first, that is what gets your foot in the door, and then you continue going because you want to better yourself. Once you start the drive to better body helps keep going back.

Boycott and Lockout as an Anti Impasse Weapon

Boycott and Lockout as an anti impasse weapon. 1. Introdcution 2. Main Body Collective Bargaining Strike Lockout Boycott Example for Lockout Example for Boycott 3. Conclusion References Introduction In this study, Collective bargaining Collective bargaining takes place between workers` union and employer or employersorganization. Workers form and join the union which represent and protect their interest against employers. Labor union can be formed by industry, sector, region etc. Similarly, employers or organizations also can form group or union according to their common interest and objectives. By forming groups, union and organization both side gain power of ‘collective voice’ against each other. Collective bargaining has also various advantages and useful aspects for both concerning parties. It provides meaning and power to the agreements related to wages, working conditions made by two sides. By this way employers and workers union can easily define the rules governing their relationship. (Ref. Usually parties bargain in good fair, make agreement, maintain consensus point and satisfy each other with their demand. But not always it works, when they fail to resolve the disputes, occurs conflict between parties. In labor market this deadlock situation is called impasse. When parties reach impasse situation, they are using economic weapons against each other to maneuver. Employees pressures employers by going to strike and boycott in order to get what they demand from them. Similarly, employers organize lockout and by stopping production to exert pressure on employees. These actions are lawful when performed in peaceful manner and controlled not to allow to occur violence during the action. Strike {draw:frame} Source: ONS labour disputes survey Boycott Labor union makes use of boycott as an economic weapon against employers when conflict occurs between them. The boycott is attempt made by labor union to influence the employer directly or indirectly. When occurs conflict between union and employer, members of the union refuses work for the employer and cease business dealings with them. his type of directly influencing is called primarily boycott. When members of the union attempt to coerce the employer through suppliers and customers of the employer or through third parties, it is called secondary boycott. Secondary type of boycott is more effective than primarily and it is illegal. It can be lawful and allowed when limited conditions are met. Lockout Employers utilize the lockout as their economic weapon against unions. Just like unions, employers also have to enhance their position in collective bargaining. Employers lock out their workers in slow season gain some advantage over union, so they ensure their labor issues for further busiest season. Thus, they maneuver over labor union. Employers use it rarely, although lockout is their primarily economic weapon against labor unions. During lockout timeframe employers can hire temporary replacements but it is legal to hire permanent replacements. Royal Mail Strike CWU used strike action as a economic weapon against Royal Mail as they failed to make agreement and solve dispute over pay, working conditions and modernization. Union’s strike action which took place before the busy season urged Royal Mail to negotiate with them. At least they decided to have ‘period of calm’ in which both side make long term deal by considering each other’s interest and solve the modernization issue. Conclusion Sometimes in labor market impasse situation occurs, when employers and union fail to solve dispute between them. One of the parties uses economic weapon against other such as strike and lockout so that they can have power in bargaining. In this study, nature of collective bargaining is argued,

Diversity Action Plan for Microsoft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversity Action Plan for Microsoft - Essay Example This is, in a way, a stand against racism and prejudice. Now, why might organizations implement this Just like every other action, this has good characteristics as well as bad ones. First of all, the biggest benefit to any organization of hiring employees from different races and ethnicities is that it creates a good impression in the minds of socialists, shareholders, the public and all other stake holders. For Microsoft, this will be especially important because multinational companies such as itself gain additional profits and other non monetary benefits such as good will only by creating a noble image in the minds of their stakeholders. Secondly, diversity leads to a greater pool of ideas. When people come from different backgrounds, they tend to think differently in terms of logic as well as innovation. For a software house such as Microsoft, it is very important to hire people who can come up with more than one way of creating software or going about a project. In other words, it helps to solve problems in more than one way. This could probably even make problem-solving easier. This then saves time and when employees save time in deciding how to solve something, they utilize the rest in producing more. This leads to an increase in productivity. Higher productivity, ultimately, generates profits for firms. A diverse workforce can understand and meet customer requirements better as the client-base is likely to be diverse also in a country like the US. This is especially true for an organization like Microsoft whose customer base is massive. Lastly, diversity helps to reduce lawsuits and increases marketing opportunities and creativity (Esty, et al., 1995). Challenges The biggest problem that diversity presents to organizations is that it causes communication problems. This happens because people come from different backgrounds. They have different accents, different ways of thinking, different ways of perceiving things, and different ways of understanding. Therefore, this causes intra- and inter-team communication barriers. Either 'diverse' employees have problems understanding the communicator, or they have problems making themselves heard. Even feedback problems are likely to occur. Some may think that having a number of ways of solving a problem is good. It leads to saving time and maybe even increased productivity. Alternatively, other might say that having too many ways of solving one problem may lead to confusion. It becomes more difficult to judge what would be a better option. Also, it gives rise to disagreements between different individuals, especially more when they are of different mores. This causes frustration amongst team members and other colleagues which further leads to a hostile and an uncomfortable environment. This could even be the cause of de-motivation of employees. There is likely to be plenty of communication problems within different groups or between individuals as it is. A difficult-to-work-in environment further leads to more communication problems. Also, cultural biases are spawned when trying to change the corporate culture. If such biases and behavior grow in frequency and intensity it can result in legal charges of discrimination, in its most serious form (Thomas, 1997). Finally, when an organization employs a diverse workforce, it becomes important to acknowledge their needs and earlier unrecognized

The Napoleon Bonaparte Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Napoleon Bonaparte - Term Paper Example This military uniform, or popularly called the ‘Marengo uniform’, is presently a valuable piece of Paris’s Musà ©e des Invalides (O’Brien 2006). The saber held by Napoleon is also kept by the Invalides. The sabre and the uniform were specially asked for by Jacques-Louis David (Bietoletti 2009). This depiction of the successful Marengo general was in the collected works of the eldest brother of Napoleon, Joseph Bonaparte. When in 1814 the Empire collapsed, he transferred to the United States and his remarkable anthology was dispatched to New Jersey, where he lived (Bietoletti 2009). Andrea Appiani was the official painter of Napoleon in Italy. He applauded the successes of the Emperor in a series of sheets in Milan’s Palazzo Reale (Cronin 1972). As the number of themes increased, his pictographic expression became more and more complicated. He employed strong chiaroscuro effects in the Caravaggio form (Cronin 1972). The King of Italy, in this wall painting, hailed by the Victories and by the Eagle, is enthroned by the Hours (Bordes 2007). This essay will analyze and discuss Appiani’s visual rendering of Napoleon in the context of history painting. If the coronation is a bird’s eye view of the intellectual mayhem of the Napoleonic cosmos, Appiani’s painting celebrating the enthronement looks like the expected preference with which to answer the major question of this essay: how to depict Napoleon in an artistic way, within the wide-ranging terms of the political representation disorder? Appiani tested a variety of answers to the abovementioned question, in a planned fulfillment of the demands of his new master. For instance, Napoleon disliked all of the answers, discarding entirely, another of Appiani’s regal works of art (Bordes 2007). The reactions of Napoleon, interpreted as aesthetic opinions (O’Brien 2006), fully validate the idea that his artists were not best positioned in the area

Financial Performance of Morrison Plc Assignment

Financial Performance of Morrison Plc - Assignment Example Return on equity (ROE) provides information regarding how much profit the company has been able to generate in regards to its equity. A high ROE is desirable. Return on assets (ROA) tells an investor how effective a company has been at producing profits from its assets. A high metric is the desired output. The debt to equity ratio measures how much debt a company has with regards to its total equity. A low ratio is a good sign. The current ratio compares the current debt a company has in regards to its current liabilities. The formula is current assets divided by current liabilities. A high ratio is a warning because it’s a sign that the firm is having liquidity problems. Working capital is calculated by subtracting current liabilities from current assets. A positive working capital is the desired output. The quick acid ratio is calculated with the same formula as the current ratio except that in the numerator you must subtract prepaid expenses and inventory. The sales to asse t ratio represent how much revenue a company is generating in regards to its total assets. It is important to understand that in order to perform a complete analysis of the company’s performance utilizing ratio analysis the financial analyst must perform research to obtain information about the industry standard ratio performance. The results of the financial ratio analysis reflect that the performance of the company has declined between 2008 and 2009. The net margin, return on equity and return on assets metrics decreased in 2009. The current ratio went up by 4%. The company has liquidity problems evidence by its negative working capital for both 2008 and 2009. Based on the ratio analysis performed on Morrison Plc for the years 2008 and 2009 the researcher would not invest in the company. Prior to making giving this recommendation, the author would need to compare the 2009 ratio results with the industry standard.

Speed limit in texas going from 70 to 95 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Speed limit in texas going from 70 to 95 - Essay Example The speed limit of 80 is already too high, as too many people see it as an open door to go as fast as their cars will allow. According to Representative Joe Pickett of El Paso, Interstate 10 is â€Å"flat with a long line of sight and good shoulders. For people like us who travel that long distance, it could be good† to raise the speed limit even more (the_old_coach, 2011). Rightfully so, auto insurance providers are in an uproar over the bill, citing viable safety concerns. According to Jerry Johns, representative for the Southwestern Insurance Information Service, â€Å"†¦the two things that kill most people on our highways are speed and alcohol. Increasing it to 85, or even 75, will have a dramatic impact on the death and injury rate†¦ where it’s implemented† (the_old_coach, 2011). Drivers already exceed the 70 mph speed limits, and will continue to exceed the posted limits no matter how high they go. Allowing people to drive at 85 mph is simply too fast for any type of road. There is too much traffic, too many inexperienced drivers, and going at such blistering speeds is dangerous not only to the driver going the posted 80 mph, but to those who are interested in safety and economy going only 65 or 70 mph. granted, texas is the second largest state in the U.S., but that should not afford people the right to travel at any rate of speed that they so desire simply due to the size of the state in which they live. According to a recent research survey conducted by the Alberta Motor Association (2011), 88.6% of 2,394 total respondents failed to pass a basic driver knowledge test, which is based on the learner’s permit test. In order for respondents to pass this test, they had to answer 25 out of the 30 questions correctly, and the average score was 22. This is a stark reality, which most people choose not to face. Most people feel that they are the world’s best drivers, particularly those with over ten years driving exp erience. However, this does not prove that raising the speed limit from 70 to 85 will do texas any safe justice in traveling, because even the most experienced drivers have become so complacent that they can no longer pass a learner’s test. The idea of having a raised speed limit in texas is a bit grandiose, as it is unreasonable to pass such legislature. They need to consider not only the four-wheeled vehicles, but the semis as well. It is nearly impossible to fathom an 18-wheeler doing 85 mph, as their stopping distance, control and often inexperienced driver at the wheel in those cases as well are going to be a bane on texas society. The posted speed limit of 70 is rarely heeded, as most people take carte blanche with it wherever they go and cruise at a higher speed than is legal. By raising the speed limit to 85, texas is asking for more accidents, more casualties and more speeding tickets. Our law enforcement officers have a daunting job that they deal with every day, wh y would texas be silly enough to make it that much harder on them over an 85 mph speed limit? That is ridiculous. Texas is a phenomenal state, and I am proud to be a citizen. Nevertheless, it is simply foolishness to raise the speed

In what ways could a researcher manage and organize the data Essay

In what ways could a researcher manage and organize the data - Essay Example Study notes can also be created to summarize the important aspects of the data without perusing the entire data another time. To avert a confusion in organizing data, researchers can develop a method of cataloging that categorizes data in a unique way that the researcher understands (Polit & Beck, 2010). The motive is to ease retrieval of the data and identify any missing information that would be relevant in the analysis section. Loss of data is a common issue in qualitative approaches, thus, cataloguing documents can reduce these losses. The catalogue is then stored in a safe place awaiting analysis. Despite the complexities associated with qualitative data, the above discussion proves that researchers can control and manage qualitative data. An efficient sorting and filing system is all a researcher needs to sort out information, detect missing information and also ease the retrieval of the information for

Sixteenth century female sexuality and their impact on Shakespeare's Research Paper

Sixteenth century female sexuality and their impact on Shakespeare's tragedy - Research Paper Example Definitely, one would assume to see gender contemplations exposed in Shakespeare’s works as distresses about the female gender, forming one of the crucial social considerations of Shakespeare’s normal life. Shakespeare, a popular and political writer, can hardly refrain himself from the common societal worries. In two of Shakespeare’s tragedies, Hamlet and Macbeth, he openly suggests the danger of female participation in sovereign level politics. He dramatizes real political concerns that came out during queen Elizabeth Tudors’ reign through the marriage of Gertrude to Hamlet’s uncle because of Lady Macbeth’s ambitious political career (Waddington 42). The sixteenth century leadership was invoked mostly by tensions aptly captured by Shakespeare, where Hamlet and Macbeth who do not make open political remarks about Elizabeth Tudor’s monarchy. In their book Shakespeare’s politics Allan Bloom and Harry V. Jaffa disparage and emphas ize the drawbacks of construing Shakespeare within historical terms (Archer, Culpeper, and Rayson 7). However, they agree that Shakespeare’s works produced a precise thematic image of current social concerns. This is highly agreeable to many other different authors who also contend that historical portrayal cannot be disregarded as it is quite weighty. Leonard’s book, Tennee house; power on display; the politics of Shakespeare’s genres, projects that Shakespeare’s literary works cannot be separated from the aspect of him being a Renaissance individual and dramatist where female discrimination was on the zenith (Archer, Culpeper, and Rayson 11). Shakespeare also portrays that female role did not have steadiness and thus confined an intrinsic danger as the Tudor monarchy is regularly clouded by shakiness and problems, for example, the failed marriage of Mary and Tudor’s uncertainty sentiment to matrimony (Waddington 67). This instability caused hyped anxiety among the Englishmen who are able relate negatively to the fitness of the Elizabethan rule. To some extent, the gender or the queen herself as a female leader was illustrated as insolvent to stable rule of the state. The literary works of Shakespeare also to some extent question the queen’s ability to lead the state through war and even her authority over her male subjects. This aspect also paints how male chauvinism had clouded the sixteenth century societies (Waddington 68). Even the queen to pass over the mantle to the next heir or her husband was questioned widely. Through the plays, Hamlet and Macbeth’s political ambitions lead to political instability of the state and disruption of the natural harmony. Lady Macbeth’s lethal political ambitions eventually constrain the state’s political culture and further diffuse the role of females in the sixteenth century societies as she is rendered as someone who can go to extreme limits just for self-w ant and enrichment (Waddington 104). Her subversive attempts finally convince her husband to assassinate the current monarch, and through this plot, she assumes power as the queen and her husband, the king, and acts as she did not know of what transpired. Therefore, Lady Macbeth’s female ambitions depict a negative connection of the females within the sixteenth century. All these female characteristics can also be alluded to the biblical writing where females like Delilah were shown as symbols of treachery and slyness. Herod’

Three question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Three question - Essay Example To protect their property and themselves, individuals may assent to a contractual affiliation whereby they unite themselves in an alliance for the good of all. Through channels of this pledged relationship, persons concur to accept different duties or responsibilities in return for the gains provided by communal cooperation. A democracy may be started on the base of a mutual pledge between community, and each person, in which society has a responsibility to every person and each person has a responsibility to society. For Locke, the natural justice will set the restrictions and provide the way for civil justice through the natural rights’ concept. Conferring to Locke, impartiality is not conceivable without personal possessions—meaning that justice will prevail only when a person has a claim to a property. The principle of Locke’s notion of impartiality is the safety of each individual’s personal property as a right built upon nature’s law (Locke pa r 5). Confucian would respond to the passage by stating the government has an obligation to attend to its citizens without favoritism or discrimination. Confucian believes that people can attain a good life through developing moral righteousness and take part in valued human relationships. Confucian would advise against bad behaviors such as being self-seeking. Confucian believes that the government has an obligation to uphold the settings, which are essential to the ‘good life’. The notion of fairness infers that the state should foster or create these settings impartially for everyone so that every individual is in a position to live a better life. An impartial society, therefore, has the following features; sufficiency for everyone, universal education and meritocracy. Question 2 A Hobbes and Locke are both well-known political theorists whose works have been momentously influential into the modern-political thought development. Moreover, they are alike in that they both denote a â€Å"state of nature† wherein man exists minus the government, as well as both talk of risks within this state. Nonetheless, while both talk of the risks of a ‘state of nature’, Hobbes is pessimistic while Locke talks of the possible benefits (Locke par 5). Hobbes talks of ‘states of nature’ hypothetically, while Locke points out instances where they are. Both men denote men to be equal within this state of nature; Hobbes affirms that nature has made men equal win the abilities of body and mind. Likewise, Locke explains the nature-of-nature as a condition of perfect impartiality, where inherently there is no dominance or authority of one on another. Regardless of this parity; nonetheless, both men caution of the risk of the ‘state of nature’.  For Hobbes, the whole time, which man is within a ‘state of nature’, he is inside a state of warfare. Hobbes states that two men can become enemies when it becomes imp ossible to relish the same item; in return they endeavor to wreck each other. Locke also points out threats, saying that minus the nature law’s everybody may execute verdicts, resulting to a state of mess (Locke par 5).    Hobbes and Locke’s ‘state of nature’ differ from one another. Firstly, Hobbes’ nature-of-nature is continually in a mess of war.   Rendering to him, the main purpose why men give up their power to the supreme is to pursue tranquility, and evade the â€Å"fear of demise†. In contrast, whereas Locke does talk of ‘

Ethical and Socially Responsive Business Essay Example for Free

Ethical and Socially Responsive Business Essay Chipotle Restaurant first opened its door in 1993 (www.chipotle.com) in Denver Colorado by Steve Ells. There are currently 1600 franchised restaurants in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom specializing in burritos and tacos. Careers range from accounting and management, information technology, cashiers and cooks. The success of any business, particularly the restaurant industry relies heavily on its code of ethics. Chipotle has an â€Å"open door† policy of which any of its employees who feel that any of its code of conducts is being violated are free to partake in. As the CEO of Chipotle, there are several key areas in Chipotle’s code of conduct significant to its success. Chipotle will do its best to protect the privacy of its employees who decide to partake in its open door policy. Some of those key areas relating to Chipotle’s code of conduct include: 1. Anti-Discrimination Policy- Chipotle believes that all of its employees should be treated with respect regardless to race, religion, national origin, disability, origin, gender, marital status or sexual orientation (ir.chipotle.com). The also applies to its hiring practices, as well as pay, performance reviews, training advancements and the ability to advance. 2. Sexual Harassment Policy- Chipotle strictly prohibits such behaviors posed upon any of its employees, male or female. Sexual harassment encourages intimidation and could lead to abuse of power. Chipotle defines sexual harassment as unwelcomed sexual advantages, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal and nonverbal conducts sexual in nature. Examples of this type of behavior include verbal comments regarding physical body parts and jokes that are verbally offensive. 3. Discrimination Policy- Chipotle stands firm  this policy and includes discrimination of race, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, and any other discrimination practice and like the anti-discrimination, applies to its hiring practice, pay, performance reviews, training and the ability to advance (ir.chipotle.com). It is every employeeâ⠂¬â„¢s responsibility at Chipotles to ensure that each code of ethics is being carried out and any such violation must be reported. Every employee is expected to use good judgment and act reasonable and responsible and avoid potential conflicts that may interfere with the day to business of Chipotle. However, it is the responsibility of those in management to enforce the rules. As soon as management sees for them self or receives confidential information regarding any ethical violation, management should immediately respond to that violation by informing their immediate supervisor/ director. Behaviors such as sexual harassment and discrimination may be grounds for immediate dismissal. Chipotle will also take actions against management that fail to recognize any ethical violation upon its employees. There are several ways Chipotle can engage in socially responsible behavior within the communities they operate. This can be achieved by donating a portion of their profits to the communities they operate out of. An example would be Chipotle pledging to donate a percentage of all orders for carne burritos to the local community center. Chipotle can also help the communities they operate out of by offering each employee paid time off for agreeing to volunteer for specific tasks performed throughout the community. An example of employee volunteerism is offering all employees two hours paid time off per quarter for volunteering to assist with the grounds maintenance at the local elementary schools. Lastly, but not least is through the offer of employee incentives. Employees can receive bonuses for meetings the company’s goal for reducing energy costs for the quarter. References: http://ir.chipotle.com/phoenix.zhtml www.chipotle.com/en-us/company/about_us.aspx

Agile Methodology With Scrum Model For Software Information Technology Essay

Agile Methodology With Scrum Model For Software Information Technology Essay Agile methods may produce software faster but also need to know how they meet quality requirements. This research focuses to make the base of question can agile methods ensure quality even though they develop software faster and can handle unstable requirements?. To show how agile methods achieve software quality, compare the scrum model with agile processes. Present a detailed scrum model showing its software quality support processes. Then show the quality practices that agile methods have integrated into their processes. Finally it is the comparison of agile methodology with scrum model in the environment of Pakistan software industry and proposed the best efficient model in the distributed software environment Introduction: Main idea of this research is to identify the challenges and issues of an agile adoption in an organization and formulate ways to grab with those issues. And also propose a solution for agile scrum limitation Limited support for Distributed Environment [1]. Main Issue in distributed environment is Communication, I am proposing a several ways how we minimize communication barrier in distributed environment. And ensure that agility with scrum model is possible in Distributed Environment. Scrumà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is a framework within which you can employ various processes and techniquesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦within which complex products can be developed [2]. Scrum Principles includes Time-boxes ,Cross-functional teams ,Open communications Within team With stakeholders ,Priorities set by Product Owner, Demonstrable results, Responsive to change[3]. Benefits of Scrum Targets Product Owners functions-of-value focus on team communications, frequent and ready access to knowledge, co-location improves communications, frequent demonstrations for early feedback from stakeholders, sense of accomplishment, quality of product. Scrum is a knowledge creating process with a high level of information sharing during the whole cycle and work progress. Its application also generates a strong culture with well-defined roles and relationships[4]. The key to scrum is planing the date of completion for production or release, prioritizing functionalities, Identifying available resources, decision about the architecture. Scrum offers a collection of empirical techniques that assume existence of uncertainties but provide practical and specific techniques to tame Iterative, Incremental and Adaptive Software Development Model. In scrum Project work is identified dynamically and prioritized according to the customers needs and what the team can do. Existing System: In every agile process development methodology there are some limitations with respect to nature of work. Some issues are highlighted in [5] for distributed area, sub contraction, developing large and complex systems, Safety-Critical system development etc.Existing software methodology has many issues in distributed environment. Now a days software development is doing by outsourcing the projects because in advanced countries cost factor is very important but the most important constraint is the communication gap between the owner and developer. To resolve this gap and to enhance the autonomy in distributed environment under the umbrella of agile methodology scrum model is implemented for dynamic development model Drawbacks with existing system Existing system (agile process development methodology) has many issues for for user and developer aspects. Disadvantages with agile: Active user involvement and close collaboration Requirements emerge and evolve Agile requirements are barely sufficient. Incremental approach to development and frequent delivery of product. Testing is integrated throughout the lifecycle. Frequent delivery of product Finally, common feedback is that agile development is rather intense for developers. The need to really complete each feature 100% within each iteration, and the relentlessness of iterations, can be mentally quite tiring so its important to find a sustainable pace for the team [6]. Objective: Numerous works has been done to cover all aspects of Scrum Development methodology but still there are open research areas which need to be covered. In every agile process development methodology there are some limitations with respect to nature of work [7]. Some issues are highlighted in [7] and for distributed area, sub contraction, developing large and complex systems etc, but still there are open areas where no significant research work has been done. Ensure that agile method with Scrum Model can ensure quality even though they develop software faster and can handle unstable requirements. PROPOSED SOLUTION: My Objective of this research is to minimize the issues and challenges of an agile adoption in an organization with collaboration of Scrum Model. So organization can successfully adopt and integrate agile with scrum into their enterprises for greater responsiveness to changing market demands and conditions. Ensure that agile method with Scrum Model can ensure quality even though they develop software faster and can handle unstable requirements. OBJECTIVES OF PROPOSED SYSTEM: The new methodologies should be developed and then it will be implemented in the different software industry with techniques and the results will be compared. New software size estimation methods should be developed. These methods will help in software cost estimation by using the different estimation techniques. These new methods will be better in software cost estimating, particularly for in the environment of Pakistan. There should be easier methods for Software development in the Agile with Scrum Model. It is comparison of old and new technologies. In the environment of Pakistan these approaches will be valid for software cost estimation. FUTURE WORK: Developing the new methodologies for software creation is an emerging trend in the environment of Pakistan. The approaches for software size, code, space and time estimation will be applied on the different software estimation techniques. Basically, the methodology proposes an integrated usage of available all these estimation techniques in different phases of the development life cycle. Application of the methodology in developing software by SD approach is also discussed. As a next step, the methodology should be experimented in various projects and thus will be enhanced. Some applications are also needed for applying the methodology to other software development approaches such as object-oriented development, Jackson System Development Programming (JSD JSP) etc. Also, the tool needs to be ported to UNIX environment. Review of Literature: Artem Marchenko, Pekka Abrahamsson (2008): The authors carried out an ethnographically informed longitudinal case study in industrial settings and closely followed how the Scrum method was adopted in a 20-person department, working in a simultaneous multi-project RD environment. Altogether 10 challenges pertinent to the case of multi-team multi-project Scrum adoption were identified in the study. The authors contend that these results carry great relevance for other industrial teams. Steve Berczuk (2007): Stated main reason that it is difficult to do work in agile with distributed teams is that distribution can reduce communication bandwidth. Co-located teams that dont communicate well can also fail with agile methods. But the rules of agile methods serve to increase communication and feedback. Any team is best served by following the rules of the agile method with as few adjustments as possible. Distribution increases the damage that non-compliance can cause. If the team feels like it owns the process and the tools it is more likely to be able to overcome obstacles and be successfull. Andrew Begel, Nachiappan Nagappan (2006): This paper report on the results of an empirical study conducted at Microsoft to learn about Agile development and its perception by people in development, testing, and management. They found that one-third of the study respondents use Agile methodologies to varying degrees, and most view it favorably due to improved communication between team members, quick releases and the increased flexibility of Agile designs. Barry Boehm, Richard Turner (2005): Their discussions with traditional developers and managers concerning agile software development practices nearly always contain two somewhat contradictory ideas. They find that on small, stand-alone projects, agile practices are less burdensome and more in tune with the software industrys increasing needs for rapid development and coping with continuous change. Wilton, P. and J. W. Colby(2005). Stated that most database management systems these days are relational with implementing agile methodology, termed relational database management system . These systems make storing data and returning results easier and more efficient. They allow different questions to be posed of the database even questions the original designer of the database didnt expect to be asked. Outi Salo (2004): Empirical results are reported from two XP (Extreme Programming) projects where the project teams conducted post-iteration workshops after all process iterations in order to improve and optimize working methods. Andreas Kornstadt and Joachim Sauer (2002) It includes discussion of the diary-driven development lightweight approach to documentation and providing a technique of introspection to help peer-review yourself. The experience reported on also covers what happens when you try to take these techniques successfully applied by an individual and scale them up for adoption by a typical small team. Adding relevance to a non-technical management audience, the presentation looks at these practices from a risk-mitigation viewpoint. It will help validate them as worthwhile for solo developers and debunk the idea that software engineering is only for big teams. Highsmiths J.A.(2000): The research project described in their report is three-pronged effort to investigate the issues associated with Scrum adoption. First, the practices that characterize the Scrum agile method will be stated, along with common variants. Second, projects that have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, Scrum will be surveyed to identify which Scrum practices, or variants thereoff, they have implemented and the perceived value of the method. Third, factors affecting Scrum adoption will be investigated. The objective of this research is to better understand the barriers to adoption and the leverage points that might encourage Scrum to be more widely and efficiently deployed. Boehm. B(2000) l: The paper proposes the component paradigm as a way to bridge the gap between model-driven and agile development. Service-based component concepts applied at the level of modeling, architectural design and development can ensure and strengthen agile development principles and practices. Components provide a way of building simple and flexible software architecture that can easily scale in size and level of details in order to overcome certain limitations of agile development processes. Material Methods This research is an empirical study .The existing published literature and research material, relevant to the Agile and scrum model are the first treasure of knowledge for this research study and provide the baseline to execute the research in proper direction. Online digital libraries and databases e.g. ACM, Springer link, IEEE etc, are the main source of information. Due to the fact that this is relatively a new research domain with insufficient academic research contribution I will also approach the online articles, success stories, case studies and personal experiences, shared by Agile practitioner, through the search engines. I will approach the agile practitioners who have experienced the Agile methodologies in distributed/Offshore environment[10]. And various research groups e.g. Google groups, Yahoo groups etc, relevant to the research topic, for getting the research input. I will also survey different organizations, especially in Pakistan, for getting the multiple responses, close ended and open ended questionnaires will be published to capture the views of IT professionals.. After approaching the wider group of Agile practitioners to get the general view point. In order to become more focused, I identify the group which are very specific and practically working in the particular development environment (Distributed agile)[8]. Structured and semi structured interview will be another tool to refine the respondent findings. The results will be formulated for this empirical study on the basis of theoretical frame work (literature review) and empirical study (survey and interviews with practitioners) The key to scrum is planning the date of completion for production or release, prioritizing functionalities, Identifying available resources, decision about the architecture. Scrum offers a collection of empirical techniques that assume existence of uncertainties but provide practical and specific techniques to tame Iterative [9], Incremental and Adaptive Software Development Model. In scrum Project work is identified dynamically and prioritized according to the customers needs and what the team can do. My Objective of this research is to minimize the issues and challenges of an agile adoption in an organization with collaboration of Scrum Model. So organization can successfully adopt and integrate agile with scrum into their enterprises for greater responsiveness to changing market demands and conditions. Ensure that agile method with Scrum Model can ensure quality even though they develop software faster and can handle unstable requirements.

Different Teaching Styles in Physical Education Essay -- Physical Educ

How would the quality of teaching for a physical education class be judged? In a math class, you might judge the quality by how fast the students can comprehend the material being taught. In a writing class you may judge the quality by the way the students construct their sentences. But in a physical education class the best way to judge the quality of teaching is translated into the amount of fun the class is having. Certain teaching styles will work best in this environment. From the book The Spectrum of teaching styles, From Command to Discovery, written by Muska Mosston, he explains that there are a variety of teaching styles. These styles are all a part of the Spectrum of Learning. The spectrum of learning is defined as â€Å"the framework for teaching where the term teaching style was selected to differentiate the descriptions of specific teaching behavior.†(Mosston, 1986) Mosston explains that through the process of decision-making, we are left with eleven styles of teaching on the spectrum. â€Å"Mosston’s analyses showed that for any style a teacher might choose, certain aspects or possibilities of the teaching-learning situation were facilitated while other as4pects were diminished.† (Thomson, 2009) meaning there are both strengths and weaknesses of each teaching style. The styles are, The Command style, The Practice Style, The Reciprocal Style, The Self-check Style, The Inclusion Style, The Guided Discovery Style, The Diver gent Style, The Convergent Discovery style, The Divergent Production Style, Learner Designed Individual Program Style, The Learner Initiated Style, and The Self Teaching Style. Each style is unique in its own way and each is practiced in teaching. (Mosston, 1986) Although, it is apparent that there are seve... ... styles in physical education are successful only when the students are having fun. Based on research the teaching style that is most successful is the command style of teaching. Although, there are several that can be used to also enhance the amount of fun that is had. Works Cited Mosston, M., & Ashworth, S. (1986). The Spectrum of Teaching Styles From Command to Discovery (Third Edition ed. , pp. 1-20). Columbus Ohio: Merrill Publishing Company. Winnick, J. P. (2005). Adapted Physical Education and Sport (Vol. 1, 4th ed., pp. 107-108) Cai, S. (1998). Student enjoyment of physical education class in three.. Education, 118(3), 412. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Thomson, W. (2009). Mosston's Styles of Teaching: A Review of Command Style. Virginia Journal, 30(2), 20-22. Retrieved from SPORTDiscus with Full Text database.

Educational Philosophy Essays -- Education Teaching Careers Essays

Educational Philosophy â€Å"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.† The decision to be a teacher was, for me, a natural progression from another career. Although I recall as a child frequently playing school, adulthood led me to a career in nursing. Within this context, a large amount of time is spent instructing patients as to adequate care of their bodies and minds. Helping people understand vital information and aiding them in incorporation of this knowledge into their lifestyle is one of the most fulfilling aspects of a nursing career. As my first child entered public school, I found myself spending significant amounts of time in the classroom, assisting as needed with the students. Building relationships with them quickly led to assisting them one-on -one, and with that came the realization that I could take the best of one career and be successful at applying that knowledge at something very different - the classroom. I believe that every child, regardless of background, has a right to a quality education. Students should be respected and allowed to explore their interests, giving them the chance to find joy in learning, rather than it becoming a task. I believe that learning should be fun, allowing students to discover what they are passionate about. As I teacher, I hope to instill a love of learning, an excitement that comes not with being able to recite facts but the ability to understand and build on what they can successfully comprehend. I believe the ability to question and to develop higher thinking skills to be crucial to young minds. Like Socrates, I urge students to ask themselves the question â€Å"What do you know?† and to learn to think critically instead of accepti... ...allowing me to bring a vast array of experiences to the classroom. My focus is secondary schooling, ages at which students are able to begin to develop study skills and critical thinking skills that will benefit them throughout their life. Knowledge in these subject areas is important in understanding rights and responsibilities as citizens as well as understanding the world that they live in. It is my goal to make learning an enjoyable task, one that inspires them through self-discovery to develop into knowledgeable young adults. To make wise choices in life, it is first important to understand what you believe as an individual and how those choices affect those around you. I hope to encourage my students to reflect upon these things, to learn, and to apply that knowledge to their lives, building continuously on the foundation that has been laid in their minds.

United Biscuits :: United Biscuits Business Management Essays

United Biscuits 1. Introduction United biscuits were founded in 1948 with the merger of two Scottish family businesses, these were McVities and the Price and McFarlane Lang group. It was developed furthermore when they acquired Crawford’s Biscuits and MacDonald’s Biscuits. More recently in 2000, United Biscuits was bought by Finalrealm who were a consortium of investors and the company reverted to a private company status. 2. Ownership In 2000 United Biscuits were bought by a consortium of four businesses, these four businesses own different percentages in the company which is dictated by the amount of money which they invested. The four businesses were Cinven who own 30%, PAI Partners who also own 30%, Nabisco who own 25% and finally MidOcean Partners who own 15%. United Biscuits were reverted to being a private limited company, this is unusual because private companies tend to be smaller than public companies and often are family businesses. To be a private company there must be at least two shareholders, which United Biscuits have two more than the minimum. Shares in privately owned companies cannot be traded on the Stock Exchange and often shares can only be bought with the permission from the board of directors. The board of directors is a group of officials whose job it is to protect the shareholders’ interests, they also choose the managing director who looks after the daily running of the company. With private limited companies the shareholders choose the board of directors, who then choose the management, this is done at an annual shareholders meeting. Companies that are private have limited liabilities and this may make them more attractive to stakeholders in the company because they are only liable for their share value. Shares are a good way of generating capitol for new ventures because they can release shares for a certain amount and depending on how many they sell they will have an instant rise in capitol. There are only a few disadvantages in comparison to an unlimited liability business, they have to share the profits out between the shareholders and decisions can’t be made quickly, they also cost more to set up. United Biscuits could become a public limited company, and to do this they would have to float their stocks on the Stock Exchange. One of the main benefits of doing this is that large amounts of capital can be raised very quickly, to every â€Å"up-side† there must be a â€Å"down-side† and this is that the control of the business can be lost if large amounts of shares are bought because this would possibly result in a takeover. To become a public company the directors must apply to the Stock

Homework&Elementary school Essay

Homework can be defined as the tasks given to the students by their class teachers, which has to be completed outside of the class. Homework usually has features that some amount of reading should be performed, writing to be completed, problems to be solved, and other skills to be practiced based on the nature of the assignments. Homework could be designed carefully to fulfill the needs of the academic curriculum, and prepare the students for upcoming lessons, extend what they know by having them apply it to new situations, or to integrate their abilities by applying many different skills to a single task. Homework also provides an opportunity for parents to participate in their children’s education (Richards-Babb, Drelick, Henry, & Robertson-Honecker, 2011). Purposes of Homework The purpose of the homework is that it should reinforce ideas, concepts, and knowledge of the subject matter taught. It is necessary in case of teaching a subject such as math, physics or chemistry. Through homework, students should review and practice what they have learned in the classroom, and prepare for the forthcoming lesson. It should offer to the students to study a subject in depth. Homework should let students investigate on their own, and learn how to find answers to questions. It should allow students build, work as a team, on their own time, with their own schedule. So that they can plan out themselves how much effort they need to supply in order to carry out the assignments successfully (Homework: is it worth it?, 2012). Home work also helps the teacher for the continuous monitor and evaluation of the progress of the students. Homework facilitates teachers to find out student’s organizational skills, time management. Another purpose of the homework is that it makes the students to be responsible and accountable. It should create an opportunity for parents to involve in their child’s learning and progress. Homework strengthens the home-school links (Heitzmann, 2007). Amounts of Homework The amount of homework varies based on the course and the ability level of the students. An investigation conducted by the United States Bureau of the Census (1984) found that â€Å"public elementary school students reported  spending an average of 4.9 hours and private school elementary students 5.5 hours a week on homework. Public high school students reported doing 6.5 hours and private school students 14.2 hours (Mendicino, Razzaq, & Heffernan, 2009). Recent research studies by the Brown Center on Education Policy concluded that the majority of U.S. students (83% of nine-year-olds; 66% of thirteen-year-olds; 65% of seventeen-year-olds) spend less than an hour a day on homework, and this has held true for most of the past 50 years. In the last 20 years, homework has increased only in the lower grade levels, where it least matters (and indeed, may be counterproductive)† (â€Å"Homework: is it worth it?† 2012). Amounts of Homework As a saying revels ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’, too much time spending on homework may lightly have the negative effects. It is said that generally homework does appear to result in higher levels of achievement for older students (at the secondary level). At the same time to the students aged between 11 to13, homework appears to be of benefit, but not to the same degree as for older students. For these students, spending more than an hour or two on homework does not result in greater benefit. So, it is a vital factor for the teacher to ensure that homework assignments are an appropriate length for the developmental level of their students (Too Much Homework Can Be Counterproductive, 2005). In America, NEA and the National PTA recommendations are in line with those suggested by Harris Cooper: 10 to 20 minutes per night in the first grade, and an additional 10 minutes per grade level thereafter (giving 2 hours for 12th grade). In Britain, the Government has laid down guidelines, recommending that children as young as five should do up to an hour a week of homework on reading, spelling and numbers, rising to 1.5 hours per week for 8-9 year olds, and 30 minutes a day for 10-11 year olds. The primary motivation for the Government policy on this seems to be a hope that this will reduce the time children spend watching TV, and, presumably, instill good study habits. Two researchers from Penn State say that instead of improving educational achievement in countries around the world, increases in homework may actually undercut teaching effectiveness and worsen disparities in student learning (Too much homework can be counterproductive, 2005). Effects of homework Harris Cooper, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Missouri, has reviewed more than 100 studies on the effectiveness of homework. In general, he has found that the benefits of doing homework seem to depend on the student’s grade level. He also points out that â€Å"In high school, students who regularly do homework outperform those who do not, as measured by standardized tests and grades. In middle school, homework is half as effective, and in elementary school it has no apparent measurable effect on achievement† (Molland, 2012). Students’ self regulation processes also developed through the homework along with its effect on academic achievements. Zimmerman says that Self-regulation of learning involves learners setting goals, selecting appropriate learning strategies, maintaining motivation, and monitoring and evaluating academic progress Darshanand Ramdass and Barry J. Zimmerman (2011) points out that â€Å" a longitudinal study with fifth-grade students showed that doing homework fosters self-regulation skills and reading achievement†. Types of homework Academically, there are four kinds of assignments or homework. They are, practice homework, preparation homework, extension homework and creative homework. Practice homework meant for repeating the same kind of work again and again in order to remember a skill, especially while learning mathematics, vocabulary and spelling. Preparation homework intended to the preparation of the next day lesson. The purpose of extension homework is to make the students to be able to connect and separate topics. Creative homework is a challenging one which meant for using different skills to show what the students have learned in the classroom. Online Homework

Life Goes on

Fundamentals of Public Speaking 101-1 Professor Victoria Nabors [email  protected] edu ASSIGNMENT: Persuasive Speech: 5 to 8 minutes DUE DATE:See Syllabus GRADE POINTS:140 converts to 15% of your overall grade EVALUATION:Grading Rubric distributed and posted on Blackboard >Typed Full Sentence Outline Draft is due one class prior to your assigned presentation date. Partial handwritten outlines will not be accepted at all. >Students MAY NOT present a speech without an approved outline. *If you are absent on the day your outline is due, you must submit it to my office (give to the department secretary in room 2519), or via Email.To earn credit for this outline, absent students must contact me on the date the assignment was due. >Attire Requirement (Ethos): Professional attire is mandatory for this final exam speech presentation. 5-point penalty for violations. >Speakers will select their speaking order on the same day outline drafts are due. â€Å"First come, first serve! † You will sign up on the white board The purpose of this speech is to persuade your targeted audience to accept your views on an issue. Remember that your credibility plays an important role in persuading audiences; as such, you must deal with oppositional arguments in a fair and convincing way.Good persuaders do not ignore the opposition, nor do they simply attack the opposition, they engage opposition’s logical arguments in an even-handed way. BASIC REQUIREMENTS In addition to persuading your audience to support your views, the persuasive speech must satisfy the following requirements: †¢Controversial Topic Selection: Persuasive topics can range from the general arguments that seek to influence healthier eating, to more controversial social issues of abortion, immigration, and gay right.Your job is to first convince your audience that there is a problem through informative speaking; and then, to propose a solution to the problem. †¢Persuasiveness: You are attempting t o weaken your audience members’ support for the opposing case. You need to develop reasonable and ethical arguments that are designed to sway audience members who may initially disagree with your position. †¢Time: The speech should run 5 to 8 minutes. Speakers will be given a 30 second grace period before time limit penalties are applied. Presentation grades with be lowered by 2. 5 point for every 30 seconds under or over the allotted time limits.That’s 5 point per minute! †¢Notes: You must deliver the speech extemporaneously. That means, the speech should not be memorized or scripted. Memorize the sequences of each section only! You may put a delivery outline of your speech on standard note cards or use a delivery outline. However, you should NOT read or rely heavily on these notes. Know your material! †¢Sources: You must orally cite a minimum of five sources in the body of the speech. Three of your sources must be available in print (in other words, yo u can only cite two web sources – Wikipedia is not acceptable).Each student will conduct an in-class audience analysis that will count as one citation. Your evidence and proof should clearly support your arguments and be audience centered. I suggest you include a variety of evidence (statistics, examples, testimony, etc. ) †¢Visual Aid: If you use a visual aid to help the audience understand key points, it must meet the requirement for using visual aids. †¢On the Presentation Date: You must submit oA fully annotated outline with a bibliography page. The outline and bibliography page will be graded (outline10 points, bibliography 5 points). Your speaker’s note cards or speaker’s outline must be approved before approaching the podium. Speaking notes that do not meet the required skeleton outline format will not be allowed at the podium. NO EXCEPTIONS! †¢Attire (Ethos): Professional attire is mandatory for this final exam speech presentation. Remembe r every aspect of your presentation will help you to establish credibility; this includes your physical appearance. Failure to dress appropriately for this final speech will result in a 10 point deduction of the overall grade.

Living downstream essay Essay

The toxic century refers a history of events in how mankind has polluted the environment and even our own bodies. This was done using harmful chemicals and toxins through a variety of military and industrial practices. Even now if we eat healthy, exercise and live the most innocent lives, you can come under attack from this invisible enemy, simply by existing on this planet. What caused this? Of the 200 organic chemicals known to cause breast cancer in animals 203 are manmade and 9 are natural. This stat shows us that we created a toxic environment. Wilhelm Hueper who we learned about in class said The majority of human cancers are traceable to environmental exposures and therefore potentially preventable† â€Å"Why did we do this to ourselves? After each World War, numerous military plus industrial practices and technologies have introduced a series of new chemicals into our bodies and damaged the environment we call home. This led to many diseases such as cancer or †¢Itai itai byÃ…  †¢(ouch ouch sickness) the toxic century is a by-product of rapid industrialization due to war. Sandra Steingraber wrote the book living downstream about her experiences with cancer and chemicals. In it she details the wars in playing an active role in the toxic century and in her words† changed chemistry and physics forever.† After each world war the need for each country trying to rapidly industrialize in order to beat other countries was so important that common sense was not present. Countries decided to forgo safety checks in order to make sure their products were more effective. As a result, many chemicals such as chorine, DDT (used as an insect repellant in the war) and PCB’s were released in society for commercial use. DDT in particular was linked to cancer and hurt wildlife in the areas it was released. Chorine was used in the war as a biological weapon was very effective and fatal against enemies. After the war, chorine was released in cleaning products, medicines and agriculture. They used propaganda and the ignorance of the people in order to sell the products. It was a time where western society was obsessed with cleanliness, they would give up anything to have it in their homes. First it was health issue & economic industry, soon it became a desirable convenience & cultural norm. The cold war was created as a by-product of the two world wars. After World War 2, countries have found a new untested technology known as nuclear bombs. This led to the invention nuclear power where countries started generating power from nuclear sources. The problem of this is nuclear accidents. At least 6 of the biggest nuclear accidents have been recorded. Chalk river in Canada being one and the most recent one in Fukushima, Japan. Nuclear fallout results in cancerous carcinogens being released into the environment. The effects of which are not felt until years and years later. This is not allof the negative effects, more importantly, a state of fear was created in society. An example was given in lecture about a town that was near a nuclear plant. When an explosion occurred in the plant, the people fled thousands of miles away. The mayor only recommend a few people leave and just a few miles away. This shows you the state of mind, these people were in after hearing about other nuclear meltdowns. On the positive side, it shows that people understand the dangers of the toxic century and things like this will not be endorsed by the people in the future. Sandra Steingrabber advised at the end of her book that we should use the precautionary principal in our daily lives. That we should act to prevent and not the other way around. One can only imagine what would have happened if we testing chemicals before using them commercially or simply not using them at all. One could argue that we gained so much as a society thanks to the inventions that came along because of these chemicals but can we truly weigh human lives against that? Only in learning about the toxic century like any other piece of history, can we prevent future situations similar to the one we are in.

Ethical Standards Within the Healthcare Industry Essay

ABSTRACT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This research functions as an analysis of the essential similarities and differences between the ethical standards upheld by the health care sector and the non health care sector. The health care sector includes hospitals, clinics, and private practices while the non-health care sector includes commercial, technological, industrial and other sectors. The paper discusses regulations and legislation of ethical practices and finds that the extent to which ethics and law overlap is dependent on such factors as the type of harm that can be done to citizens as a result of an action. The paper also discusses the extent to which the administration of ethical rules takes place within the sectors in question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It posits that the health care sector maintains a high standard in ethical practice, especially in the medical, pharmaceutical and a few paramedical fields. It distinguishes as well as defines clearly the concept of ethics and law and how they are legislated in a few selected establishments. Meticulous care has also been taken to probe and illuminate the nuances of the controversial disclosure law and to give insight into the strong ethical question that it addresses in the health care industry. Equally, the issues concerning the consent and privacy rules were also dealt with in an in-depth and comprehensive manner. In addition to this, the paper explains the several ways in which information can be protected from physical and electronic abuse. It also delves into the areas of weakness and threat faced in technological security.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ethics of the health care and the non health care sectors were also examined through these lens of technological security, and analysis was done of the methods used by each sector to secure information. Finally, the implications of this research outlined at the end of this report and recommendations are then given for improving ethical practice. The researcher suggests ways of improving the quality of ethical standard in the major health sector as well as other branches like the paramedical. Furthermore, the recent developments in electronic assessment and the dissemination of business information are shown to create a need for both regulation and legislation. There is a demonstrated need for simplification of all ethical legislating and regulating information so that such might be made available to everybody who desires to learn and abide by ethical standards. Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ethics is a philosophy of life and became a part of the business world. The complexity and critical needs of the health care industry are more prone to medical errors which could cost human lives. The quality of care is measured by ethical factors related with the medical industry. However, ethics go beyond quality of care and include many other areas in the health care industry. The role of health care administration in the organization is to ensure that customers are protected completely and that their privacy are not violated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The practice of ethics is also one of the duties and responsibilities of the Health Care Administrator and as such, the present paper aims to identify the position and practice of ethics in the health care industry with other non health care industries. In doing so, the paper intends to gain insights of ethical practices of non-health care industries and tries to recommend the best practices for the health care industry if gaps are found. In order to evaluate the key issues of ethical practices in both sectors, the paper considers the Information Security aspect of business Information.   Ã‚  Ã‚     Thus, the paper aims to compare the ethical practices mainly concentrating in the primary areas of information Privacy and Security from health care and the E-commerce sectors. Every responsible activity in any organized sector of human endeavor requires some form of regulation. Whether it is written or unwritten, legally documented or morally documented, the study also tries to observe the ethical practices against the industry specific ethical standards and legal policies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethics can be defined as learning of what is right or wrong and then doing the right thing. Generally, ethics are aimed at the employees of organizations whose management experienced problems. LAW AND ETHICS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Legal Information Institute (1999) defines â€Å"law† as a set of rules that are considered universal and that show both internal and external consistency. They are publicized and are usually accepted by the society in which they are published. They should also be enforced. Such laws are regulations that govern how persons in a given society are expected to behave toward others, who make up the society, and standards the persons who live within that environment are required (and not just expected) to adhere to. The government is responsible for enacting such laws, and is empowered to use security forces to ensure these laws are enforced. Sue Anstead (1999) has identified five following criteria that must exist for laws to be considered as such: consistency, universality, publication, acceptance, and enforcement. First, Consistency refers to the idea that contradictory requirements cannot be considered law, as it would be impossible for people to obey both. Second, universality demonstrates that the requirements should apply to all who share similar situations within a given society. Third, publication promotes the idea that the requirements should be available to all via some method of written publication. Fourth, acceptance means that the requirements must be generally considered appropriate. When acceptance of the law occurs, it will be nearly universally obeyed. Finally, the enforcement criterion reflects the idea that the members of the given group must be forced to comply with the regulation and punished should they choose to disobey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Anstead (1999) has also noted that the Greek word ethos is that from which the English word â€Å"ethics† is derived. The Greek word is one that means character, and the Latin equivalent of same words adds the idea of custom to the meaning of the term. The combination of these ideas reflects the choice that people within a society make regarding their mode of interaction. The philosophical rendering of the word â€Å"ethics† gives the definition as that which is good or wholesome for the person as well as his social environment and it also describes the duties that should be performed from one person to another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethics has many philosophical traits that one might describe as â€Å"common† to all forms of the term. It is concerned with the apprehension of things considered acceptable—or the distinguishing of right from wrong. Furthermore, ethics are designed compel the individuals to choose the right over the wrong. Decisions that are considered ethical are generally attended by consequences that extend over a discernible period. There are also generally several options regarding behavior, so that a person must make a choice to be ethical in his/her behavior.      Ã‚  Ã‚  However, ethics are not considered to be the same as morality. The difference that lies between them is delicate but important to learn   and understand. Judgment is at the heart of morality, as it has to do with certain â€Å"standards of behavior by which individuals are judged, and [†¦] which people in general are judged in their relationships with others (Anstead, 1999).† Ethics, however, differs from this as it encircles the entire belief system upon which a certain version of morality rests. The values connected with ethics and those principles one finds in conjunction with the law are generally related to each other. However, ethical responsibilities are often greater than legal ones. However, the opposite is also true at times. As a matter of fact, it might be said that â€Å"although law most times embodies ethical principles, law and ethics are far from co-extensive (Ibid).†   One finds that no laws exist against certain actions that may be considered even by many as unethical. On the other hand, the law does prohibit some acts that are not considered unethical but may just be dangerous. Examples of these abound, but just to name a couple: making false claims about a certain situation or betraying the trust of a friend is, in most cases, not considered illegal. However, such an act is almost universally considered unethical. Similarly, speeding is against the law, though many would agree that most people do not find such an action unethical (AMA, 1994; Anste ad, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   McNamara (1999) has described a scenario in which the relationship between law and ethics is depicted. When setting up a set of criteria or guidelines that help in the detection, resolution, and the warding off or discouragement of breaches to ethical codes, an organization is often secured against involvement in further legal problems. According to Anstead (1999), â€Å"Federal sentencing guidelines passed in 1991, for example, permit judges to reduce fines and jail time for executives proportionate to the ethical measures a company has taken (Ibid).† This makes it a wise decision for any company to take time to develop a code of ethics. If an organization develops positive methods for dealing with situations concerning ethics, this will give them the opportunity to extend mitigated punishments, in the event that legal violations do occur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Guidelines or codes that govern the conduct of individuals, and which are of the sort that is universally agreed upon as good actions, should be provided to the public in written form within a document. Such a document must be observed and upheld as one containing principles that are designed to guide the public (Anstead, 1999). At this point, the document should then be transformed into law. In several contexts, and especially in non-healthcare situations, one finds that the law contains no real documented types of ethical legislation. A person is generally viewed as being capable of and willing to exercise ethical conduct within a given scenario as the need arises. However, no general effort is usually placed into predicting the types of scenarios in which ethics might play a part, as well as the types of ethical behaviors that might be required. As a result, no systematic code of ethics has been captured and written down for several industries outside of the healthcare industry (Anstead, 1999). Many laws have been drafted and put into place, guarding against harm to employees and other modes of unethical conduct in the working environment. The Department of Labor is responsible for the administration of such laws within the United States. However, they are generally reflective of ethical benchmarks adhered to by most persons and organizations within society. Laws that perform such duties include the Americans with the Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The ADA (1990) has stipulated the following: No covered entity shall discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability because of the disability of such individual with regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment (ADA, 1990).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It would not be against the ethical standards of most to admit that the denial of employment, promotions, or other benefits to a person with a disability would be wrong once that denial is based only on the fact that the person carries that handicap. This is especially true when the disability in question poses no impediment to the proper completion of the task required by the job. Ethics in the workplace also extends to the business person who finds himself under no legal obligation to refrain from divulging information given to him in private by a colleague. This is in direct opposition to the kind of confidentiality required in the healthcare system. Medical professionals must adhere to strict guidelines concerning the sharing of information about patients’ medical conditions (Agelus, 2004; AMA, 1994). In doing this, these professionals adhere both to ethical as well as legally binding guidelines. ETHICAL RULES FOR EMPLOYEES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employees that work within corporations and at executive levels are held to guidelines that are usually termed â€Å"ethics standards† (Anstead, 1999). The sources from which these guidelines are obtained as statutes concerning â€Å"criminal conflict of interests† and those concerning â€Å"administrative standards of ethical conduct† (Ibid). It is by way of such statutes that the government itself has become involved in the enforcement of ethical behavior within the corporate world (Budd, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The United States has a Criminal Conflict of Interest Statute, and the ethical nature of this law can be reflected within the United States Code. This statute bans such behavior as employees performing such actions that show their own interests to be given priority over that of the Federal government itself. It is known that obtaining information within a business setting is for the purpose of protecting the interested parties equally. In the healthcare industry, this refers to the doctor and the patient. In these scenarios, it becomes in the interest of all persons involved that information divulged in private remains confidential (AMA, 1994). Part 2635 of the Code of Federal Regulations exemplifies standards of administration as stipulated by the Ethical Conduct Regulation. According to Anstead (1999), â€Å"The standards of conduct regulation establish principles of ethical conduct for employees within the executive branch and the regulation not only identifies the principles but also provides easy to understand examples of how the principles apply (Ibid).† These guidelines that govern conduct refer to such actions as how to handle the receipt of gifts obtained from sources outside the organization; how to regulate the exchange of gifts between one employee and another; how to mediate conflicts of interests in financial situations; the removal of biases when conducting official business; how to go about finding alternate employment; the proper handling of a position of authority; how properly to balance activities outside and inside the organization. CODE OF ETHICS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Companies and organizations within the private, non-health sector often set up their own ethical guidelines in addition to the already established guidelines provided by the government. These guidelines may be written in a formal manner, or just informally understood among those persons involved. It is usually up to these private bodies to enforce such codes, as the government is generally not capable. When these codes are violated, employees or members within the organization or group may have their employment terminated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Within the healthcare industry, as well as in any related sector in which humans are heavily involved in research, strict rules generally govern the actions of the professionals involved. One example of the strictness of such rules is found in the ethics that govern the carrying out of experiments that involve human subjects. Such research is carried out in hospitals, clinics, and even in universities around the world. In such cases, ethics and law work hand-in-hand, and the idea of consent (which shall later be discussed in further detail) form a large part of that research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The principle concern of all ethical research done on humans is the offer of informed consent to the subjects who participate in that research. This is defined by the researchers’ granting respect and justice to those being studied (Schrag, 1979). Such research methods that include deception, covert observation, or any other type of concealment regarding the use of information or purpose of the research is considered to be unethical. In some cases, however, it might be necessary that participants be recruited, who are unaware of certain aspects of the processes involved in the study. In such cases, an institutional review board or ethics committee must be approached, and accommodations made, to satisfy the committee’s stipulations of certain aspects of the project that may require deception (NHMRC, 2001). STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the main, this paper seeks to examine from a manager’s point of view, the ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare industry and in comparison with the ethical standards of securing business information in the non-healthcare industries. As such, this paper intends to answer the following specific questions: What are the ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare industry? What are the ethical standards of securing business information in the non-healthcare industries? and What is the comparison between the ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare industry and the non-health care industries? HYPOTHESIS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare industry are more rigid and standardized compared with the ethical standards of securing business information in the non-health care industries. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper is written in order to achieve the following objectives from a manager’s point of view: To determine the ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare industry; To determine the ethical standards of securing business information in the non-healthcare industries; To compare and analyze the similarities and differences between the ethical standards of securing business information in the healthcare and non-health care industries; and To recommend for policies or managerial improvements based upon the analysis and implications of the comparison of ethical standards in the healthcare industry, and non-health care industries.   METHODOLOGY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this study, the literature search is considered to eliminate the possibility of needless duplication of the outcome of the study. The study found that there is no evidence that a comparative analysis of ethical practices was conducted in the health care and e-commerce industries. Hence the study started analyzing the ethical practices in both the industries to make a recommendation to the health care professionals.   The study found that literature review saves considerable time by building on what is already known as well as using tested methodology, including instruments. The study progresses by assessing the merit of previous studies: their soundness, relevance, design quality, findings and conclusions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The literature research, especially in the findings and recommendations of others, often provides more and more persuasive justification for research on the problem. Previous researchers often identify gaps or areas where more research is needed. Besides enlarging the knowledge about the topic, the method allows to gain and demonstrate skills in areas such as: Information seeking: the ability to scan the literature efficiently, using manual or computerized methods, to identify a set of useful articles and books, and Critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of analysis to identify unbiased and valid studies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Literature is collected from Journal articles, books, Government reports, Theses, Internet articles and online magazines. Each of the sources has its own contribution to the paper. Journal articles were used for their up-to-date and concise information. Books were reviewed to have a basic ground theory and to collect facts on ethical practices. Government and corporate reports were studied to understand the relevant policies and legal frameworks for the ethical practices of the industries considered for the study. Theses and research papers were reviewed to understand and compare the knowledge gained in similar fields by authors and scholars.   Internet articles and online magazines were studied to review the application areas of the study in recent times to gather different opinions and illustrations. ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper is organized and structured in accordance with the American Pyschological Association (APA) format. Chapter one discusses the introduction and background of the study including the statement of the problem, hypothesis, and its objectives, and methodology. Chapter two reviews the literature which is also the main research method in data gathering as well as in the preparation for analysis and discussion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chapter three analyzes and discussed the ethical standards of gathering information in the healthcare and non-health care industries. Finally, Chapter four concludes and make recommendations. Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE DISCLOSURE LAW AND SECURING INFORMATION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It must be agreed that the health sector is one of the most delicate and even complicated sectors of the national economy, and that it requires handling with utmost care. It is intimately concerned with handling the most delicate areas of personal information, as it is involved in the documentation of health records, and the treatment and handling of all ailments suffered by persons within society. So, the management of healthcare data requires competence and very high standard of ethics (Agelus, 2004). So here what must also inevitably be considered is the question of drafting laws and regulations to govern how this information can be secured in the best interest of the stakeholders (Morejon, 2006). Of importance is the question of what the ethical rules are which govern security of these data and information. Also of importance is the protection of the rights of all concerned, and this is what shall be explored here. Sage (2000) has identified the fact of the extreme popularity of laws that require physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations to give extensive disclosure privileges to patients and customers.   He continues: The reason for this lies in politics, not policy: disclosure laws suggest a less intrusive role for government and greater reliance on individual choice and free markets than do other oversight mechanisms. This strikes   responsive chord in today’s anti-regulatory political climate. At a policy level, however, few healthcare disclosure laws have been carefully designed to achieve specific objectives (Sage, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An interesting and important way in which this process in which regulations are diversified is able to manifest itself is though the popularity of these disclosure laws. (Morejon, 2006). Researchers have expounded on this matter by showing how patients have been requesting extensive information about their health records in direct response to the widening scope of managed healthcare (Marshall et al., 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It has also been applied to regulation ensuring the quality and safety of hospitals and physicians as well as to the laws that are responsible for the decisions made by patients concerning their treatment. The main issue that is currently being faced in the healthcare sector with the laws concerning disclosure is that they are not focused. In the words of Sage (2000), they are â€Å"scattershot, reflecting short-term political compromises or the equities of individual lawsuits rather than a coherent understanding of the purposes served by mandatory disclosure and the conditions necessary to achieve desired effects.† So it is obvious that managing and securing business information is a whole lot of serious issues. In spite of this fact, persons who advocate disclosure are usually quick to point toward such laws issued concerning federal securities as models for healthcare disclosure laws. Their argument is that Congress should carve out for the healthcare industry ethical regulations that are similar to those drafted and enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or by other financial agencies, such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Sage (2000) agrees that these boards do have the ability to illuminate some of the issues regarding ethics that face the healthcare sector. However, Sage goes on to point out that â€Å"well-designed information requirements can serve therapeutic goals regarding openness, trust, and participation and can remind physicians and other health professionals of the tensions between their daily practice environment and their overarching ethical obligations (Sage, 1999).† Therefore, in order to design fitting ethical standards and reg ulations, the particular idiosyncrasies of the healthcare industry must be taken into consideration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is the job of the government to collaborate with the healthcare personnel to establish a hierarchy of actions through which ethical standards might be met. This will necessitate the prioritizing of such issues as education of the public and overall improvement of performance in as far as social issues may have a bearing on decisions made in healthcare. Furthermore, financial considerations should not have too great a bearing on the privacy and self-determination rights of citizens (Hsinchun et al., 2005). These are some of the basic issues that must be kept in mind in understanding the important role the healthcare sector is playing in securing and managing information. Another dimension of ethics exists in the form of economic theory, and in this dimension, no rule exists which stipulates that all consumers must necessarily be completely informed in order that efficiency exist in the sector (Baird et al., 1994). In fact, according to Sage: The SEC has had to accept the fact that the meaning of intricate corporate disclosure may elude unsophisticated recipients, especially as larger segments of the population purchase securities. It has become obvious that, the absence of a secondary market pricing mechanism in healthcare reduces the ability of a few sophisticated parties—such as large employers or government purchasers—to discipline the entire market and those few have smaller incentives to achieve informational superiority (Sage, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the opinion of Baird et. al. (1994), â€Å"overcoming the current degree of public ignorance is [still] a weighty challenge for a disclosure regime. This is particularly true because the least educated users of healthcare often have the greatest health needs and are vulnerable both to risk-selection in insurance and to substandard provision of care (Baird et. al., 1994).† The federal security laws establishing disclosure law, as pointed out by Sage (1999), has suggested three core reasons for its necessity, which are to (1) Facilitate market competition; (2) Monitor agents and intermediaries; and (3) Improve corporate governance. The researcher has seen fit to take the time to explain what these disclosure law is as it is considered the basis upon which rests a healthcare officer’s ability to comply with his ethical demands. Again, â€Å"it can serve varied and sophisticated purposes, but only if objectives are clearly articulated and laws carefully designed to achieve them (Sage, 2000).† Dealing with the science of human even veterinary medicine without properly enabling regulatory laws will only lead to frustrations and conflicts (Agelus, 2004; AMA, 1994). This is the foundation and   understanding upon which this research is based. ETHICS IN BOTH INDUSTRIES Every sector in the health delivery field has governing ethical standards that regulate its operations, be it theoretical, clinical, paramedic or even veterinary sectors. Regardless of the different departments, the governing ethical rules are basically very similar. Therefore, bodies exist for the purpose of overseeing and managing, as well as securing the interest, survival and maintenance of these ethical standards. In the same way, the non healthcare sector (covering such fields as technology, law, business, commerce and sports) have their own ethical standards by which all companies are expected to act (Agelus, 2004; Budd, 2005). The stringency of laws that back these ethics, however, tends to differ between the two sectors. Every one who operates in the field of life has a moral or compulsive obligation to play by the rules, and every organized body is governed by sets of rules. These might be rules concerning financial management, training, membership, and qualification for certification in certain fields. These rules all involve the regulation of standards of practice and may be as diverse as the scope of the organization itself. The fact and reality to be noted here is that every member, and all those who desire to be responsibly associated with such a body, must abide by the ethics of such profession in good conscience, and may even be willing to be reprimanded and disciplined when the need calls for it (Baird et al., 1994). For example, lawyers believe that advertising their profession will have dire consequences (David, 2005). So it is expected that no lawyer will be so hungry for patronage as to put up an advertisement to improve his number of cases handled. Professionally that would be unacceptable. In instances such as this, a violation of an ethical standard does not constitute a punishable offence, but would be regarded as a moral burden on such an individual. If it is agreed that lawyers must appear noble, if a â€Å"deviant† lawyer decides to publicly put up an advertisement in the papers or electronic media, there is no law that recommends prosecution. Colleagues, however, may look down on him, or at least see his actions as contemptuous. On the other hand, a civil engineer who opts to carry out an inferior job for a client may go unnoticed for a while. But if, by chance, such a building collapses over time, he may be sought out and may face possible prosecution. However, the reality is that certain ethical standards hardly have strong backing from the law enforcement agencies. The reason for this is that many are merely regulations and unwritten codes of understanding (Anstead, 1999). On the other hand, most health sector fields are very strict in adherence and implementation of their ethics of practice (AMA, 1994). The reason is quite obvious. The health sector has very strong relationship with maintaining human life, human health, hygiene, animal life, environmental concern, etc. So laxity, negligence, deliberate omission and commission may lead to casualties and unintended sad consequences. It could be conceded, therefore, that the ethics in the healthcare sector has a much stronger backing than its counterpart in the non-healthcare sector. For instance, a doctor who violates his code of practice, or carries out action that is not in conformity with the rules of practice will stand the risk of having his license withdrawn In his preface to his book, The Ethics of Human Resources and Industrial Relations, J.W. Budd, had this to say: In the business and economic spheres, many of the most pressing ethical issues involve the employment relationship, such as the rights of employees versus ER shareholders, employee privacy and monitoring, whistle blowing, pay equity, discrimination, employee safety, anti-union campaigns, and minimum labor standards. Since the field of human resources and industrial relations is ultimately about people and quality of life, there is a pressing need to develop applications of business ethics for the employment relationship in the context of research, practice, and teaching (2005, p. 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In following the media coverage of the many scandals which have plagued countries throughout the world, the public has gained a greater understanding of what can happen when businesses do not adhere to ethical practices. Many scholars of business ethics consider that it is now time for the human resources and industrial relations communities to explore the application of ethics to the employment relationship and to discover the importance of treating employees, not just numbers, properly. This goes to show that the issue of observing ethics in profession is gradually taking a more serious dimension (Marshall et. al., 2000; Sage,   2000). POSSIBLE CONFLICTS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     It has already been emphasized that certain beliefs and actions may be perfectly legal, but might yet be considered unethical. One organization, the Marriot Corporation, holds itself and its employees to some very high ethical standards (Anstead, 1999). In fact, certain aspects of the company’s standards might be said to be overdone. However, in the pursuit of comprehensive ethical standards, the dress code, for example, had once included certain stipulations that might today even be considered unethical. This had to do with the appearance of its employees while on the job, and on some level extends itself into areas that differentiate the sexes in what might be considered inappropriate ways today.   Some stipulations were (1) Prohibition of women from wearing skirts that go higher than about four inches above knee level; (2) Prohibition of women from showing bare legs and the requirement that they wear panty hose or long pants always; (3) Prohibition of women from wearing clothing that exposed their shoulders; (4) Prohibition of men from wearing their hair at a length that touches or goes beyond the collar without having express religious reasons for doing so; and (5) Prohibition of men from wearing certain types of jewelry, such as earrings. Despite the fact that such rules were considered binding within the confines of the company itself, nothing regarding them had anything to do with legal status at a judicial level. Still, within the culture of the Marriot Corporation, behaviors that went against the established codes were considered unethical (Anstead, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also no law exists that prohibits companies from outsourcing their manufacturing jobs for the sake of profit. Furthermore, though minimum wages might differ greatly between the host country and the United States, corporations are not bound to meet anything more than the minimum wage requirement of the host country in order to remain unsusceptible to legal action.    Succinct with to the two aforementioned examples, other practices (though lesser in degree by comparison) demonstrating illegal actions might be considered ethical by the majority of the public. The removal of office supplies at ones place of employment for personal use is one such example. Another is the installation of a copyrighted program on multiple computers within a company. Technically, such an action is in violation of intellectual property and other copyright laws (Budd, 2005; Software Use, 1999). Despite this, â€Å"the piracy of software is widespread, even in corporations that con sider themselves ethical† (Anstead, 1999). Like the healthcare industry, the software community has plenty of legal backing when it comes to the proper use of its products. Unlike the healthcare community, however, many breaches to the legal guidelines take place and little is (or can be) done to prevent this. One reason for this is that such illegal conduct is difficult to detect and control, and such widespread software knowledge exists that hackers may be able to get around security measures, further complicating the matter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Copyright law enacted by the Federal government seeks to protect software creators as soon as the product has been developed. Title 17 of the United States Code concerns the Copyright Act, see 17 U.S.C.A.  § 102, and accords exclusively to the developers and owners of software the right to reproduce and disseminate the work in question. Anyone found to encroach upon the rights of the owner of the copyright is subject to penalties, and those who purchase a copy the software has license only to put the software on one computer and create a back-up copy for the purposes of archiving it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The discrepancy one finds between the sentiments of different persons concerning software piracy is akin to the delicate difference between what is legal and what is ethical. Many people are adamant in their belief that certain illegal uses of software are indeed ethical. Yet, the financial impact that such piracy has globally is significant. One study has shown that in 1998, approximately 38% of all software installed in businesses worldwide was pirated, and this amounted to a reduction in profits of approximately $11 billion (SILA, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When one considers the management of a non-healthcare businesses, it becomes clear that rules governing ethical practices are less stringent than those within the healthcare industry. Ethics are not compulsory, though it usually benefits the company to demonstrate ethical practices. The relationship between law and ethics becomes evident here again, and such a relationship is of immense importance in the area of management. It is one of the duties of managers to assess both what is considered legal and what is considered ethical in the running of their businesses. It is the job of managers, therefore, to ascertain whether employees and the company as a whole abide by the legal statutes and societal standards concerning ethics. Also important here is the evaluation of what is considered acceptable and ethical behaviors by customers—as they also must be satisfied as much as managers and employees are with the ethics of the company (Budd, 2005). It is of course true that no policy developed to secure ethical standards will be satisfactory to all concerned. However, managers have the responsibility of establishing the most comprehensive code of ethics possible given the information currently available to him or her. The code will have the advantage of demonstrating to employees, customers, and society alike that the company is at least concerned with the ethical practices of those who do business in and with it. In this way, businesses outside the health industry do themselves a favor by demonstrating ethical practices above and beyond their legal obligations. However, within most non-healthcare sectors, such attention to ethics is not mandatory (Budd, 2005).   Pains have been taken to go through the above details for the purpose of making it possible for readers to appreciate what and how ethics apply in other aspects of life. However, this study will be limited to the healthcare and non healthcare industries, focusing on their ethical standards in securing information. ETHICS AND PRIVACY   Sometimes, people may act deliberately to defy the written and unwritten codes of ethics within their line of work in the organizations. This may be done through deviant means, such as sophisticated electronic devices that facilitate the bugging or taping conversations that were never meant to be recorded. It appears that such actions occur more in the business world than in the health world. It is not, for example, common to hear of health workers engaging in such extreme activities in order to gain access to information of a delicate and private nature. However, one does hear of other forms of ethical breaches in the health sector and the pharmaceutical industry. Some scientists may also attempt to misrepresent the results of clinical trials for similar reasons. Such actions are unethical as they may eventually prove harmful to the public at large (Bassett, et al., 1992; Girotra, Terwiesch & Ulrich, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issue of consent according to the Privacy Rule, states that workers and establishments in the healthcare sector, such as physicians, hospitals and clinics must receive consent from patients or other clients before compromising or turning over to a third party information concerning that person’s state of health. Such permission must be given in written form prior to the disclosure and before any form of treatment or other operation can be performed (Sage, 2000). Currently, it is the practice of healthcare providers to â€Å"obtain a patient’s consent for disclosure of information to insurance companies or for other purposes (DHHS, 2001, p. 4).† This is done for reasons having to do with ethics and professionalism. The Rule itself has as its foundation these said practices, and these rules are eventually expanded for the purpose of having a uniform system by which workers in the healthcare sector can systematically gain consent for the procedu res necessary to ensure the proper treatment of patients (DHHS, 2001; Hsinchun et al., 2005). GENERAL PROVISIONS   Ã‚  Ã‚   According to McNamarra (1999), the general provisions for ethical standards in the healthcare industry are as follows:  Ã‚   It is necessary for patients to give consent prior to being treated by health care provider that offers direct treatment to that patient. Such a health care provider may utilize or share protected health information (PHI) only for purposes of TPO. Exceptions to this standard are given subsequently; When an emergency arises (such as in the event of life-threatening accidents or communication barriers), it is possible for health care workers to use and disclose information concerning a patient without first having obtained his/her consent. This is especially true in the health care sector, where laws require that workers treat patients that come into their care; Certain members of the healthcare community whose employees have very minimal contact with patients, such as persons who work in laboratories, may use or disclose information concerning those patients without first obtaining their consent. Other organizations within the health care sector, such as health insurance agencies and clearinghouses also have the privilege of using or divulging patients’ information without gaining consent. These agencies do have the option of getting this consent if they wish to do so—but it is left to their discretion; Health care providers have the right to refuse treatment to any patient who fails to grant permission for disclosing their protected health information. It is not necessary for such consent to be obtained by more than one provider at any given time; and There is no real need for the document that gives consent to be an in-depth one. Such permissions may be given in very general language. The language must, however, be plain enough to be easily understood. It must also contain all that is necessary to make it clear to the patient that any information that is provided might be shared and that he/she does have the right to refuse, impose restrictions, and to peruse the privacy statement of the organization. The consent may be a brief document in written from with general terms. Any such statement must then be signed and dated by either the patient himself or the patient’s proxy (McNamara, 1999). INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Individuals have the right to revoke statement of consent except when the health care provider has already acted in response to the consent. Restrictions may be imposed upon the permissions for disclosures and uses of protected information. The provider is not obligated to agree to these restrictions, but must abide by those to which it does agree (McNamara, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚     Patients must be privy to the privacy codes of the entity to which he/she gives permission to use or disclose information—and such access to the privacy code must occur before signing consent forms (Ibid). ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), any consent form that is signed by a patient must be kept by the health care provider (or other entity) for a period of six years following its last effective date. The forms may be retained in paper form, electronically, or otherwise—this is left to the discretion of the provider.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Further provisions for privacy and consent have been issued, which stipulate that if a covered entity obtains consent and also receives an authorization to disclose PHI for TPO, the covered entity may disclose information only in accordance with the more restrictive document, unless the covered entity resolves the conflict with the individual. CONSENT VERSUS AUTHORIZATION â€Å"Consent† is the name given to any document that accords to health care personnel the permission regarding the usage and disclosure of delicate information regarding a patient. This permission is granted solely to the particular health personnel (Sage, 2000). It is not necessary that the consent form be specific about the type of information that will be used included in the disclosure (Sage, 2000). It is generally only the â€Å"direct treatment provider† that has the legal right to obtain consent from the patient, and such a person should be â€Å"one that treats a patient directly, rather than based on the orders of another provider, and/or provides health care services or test results directly to patients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An authorization differs in that it offers requests for permissions to patients in a fashion more tailored to suit them and their health needs. This offers permissions to use specific portions of a patient’s PHI for detailed and specific purposes. Such purposes are usually for things that are unrelated to the TPO or for disclosure to be done with a specified third party. Authorizations expire, while consent forms are more open concerning the time-frame in which information might be used or disclosed. Further stipulations include the fact that â€Å"covered entities may not condition treatment or coverage on the individual providing an authorization† and that it â€Å"states the purpose for which the information may be used or disclosed† (DHHS, 2001, p. 6). PRIVACY RULES IN THE HEALTH CARE SECTOR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is highly necessary to have a deeper understanding of what privacy rule entails as a basis for sustaining quality ethical standard especially for someone working in the healthcare sector. In the healthcare industry, privacy is a more delicate issue than other sectors and its workings are very intricate. The background information released from the Office for Civil Rights, (DHHS, 2001; OCR, n.d.) indicates the intricacy of the Privacy Rule, which became effective on April 14, 2001. The Privacy Rule, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, â€Å"provides the first comprehensive federal protection for the privacy of health information† (DHHS, 2001, p. 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The different departments within the health care sector have all joined in support of the aims advocated by this rule to protect the privacy of the patient. However, these departments also understand how necessary it is that privacy not interferes with the treatment of patients (DHHS, 2001; OCR, n.d.). The delicacy of the privacy problem becomes even more apparent for other reasons. Though privacy consents and authorizations are generally granted to primary care providers, health care clearing houses and health insurers, it is usually the case that such entities require the aid of yet other entities (such as contractors) in order to provide the best care possible to the patient. To make allowance for the possibility of divulging PHI to such associates, conditions and stipulations are included in the privacy rule for ensuring that the provider obtain satisfactory assurances that the business associate will use the information only for the purposes for which they were engaged by the covered entity, will safeguard the information from misuse, and will help the covered entity comply with the covered entity’s duties to provide individuals with access to health information about them and a history of certain disclosures. Therefore, personal health information can only be shared with contractors and associates when such information is necessary for the providers to do their jobs accurately and thoroughly. To facilitate the usefulness of this regulation to the health care officer as well as the individual in securing information in compliance to the ethical requirements, most health care providers must know that they are covered by the new rule and therefore must comply with the new requirements. Analysts have wondered whether these requirements for consent have not presented barriers to the proper treatment of patients, as this often necessitates open consultation with other specialists and health care providers. However, the stipulations of the consent requirements should not hinder such comprehensive treatment, as those providers who had at one time treated the patient would have also been required to obtain such consent. Furthermore, since necessary consultations with other health personnel are considered part of the â€Å"treatment of an individual, it is considered within consensual boundaries to engage in such consultation. Such actions are therefore considered ethical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ethical practices in the commercial, technological and other industrial sectors are governed by corporate regulations and social responsibilities. The issues of these sectors differ from those of the health care sector, which deals with the more serious issues of providing medication for human and veterinary sciences, and as such, requires more serious and stringent ethical standard compliance (Hsinchun et al., 2005). PRIVACY IN THE CONTEXT OF E-COMMERCE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ethical difficulties associated with e-commerce revolve around privacy and identity, both with reference to the human subject involved in the transaction and transaction non refutability (Baum 1998, p.65; Suprina 1997, pp.8–12; Joyanes, 1997, pp.277–281).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The online e-store Amazon (Linden, G., Smith, B. & York, J. as cited in Teemu Mutanen) uses consumer data on cross-selling growth and the   information about buying patterns is transformed into recommendations. Chris Anderson as cited in Teemu Mutanen argues that this combination of good-quality recommendations with huge inventory of items is a real business advantage. The advantage is gained only if the customer can be targeted with relevant recommendations, the variety of items is not sufficient. Hence E-commerce organizations tend to use the consumer data they have collected from their visitors through online transactions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the online consumers expect ethics from the e-commerce traders in protecting the privacy of their details.   They want the e-commerce sites to have and to display a highly visible privacy policy, which can be easily understood. They want a prominent page where corrections of past mistakes are available. Berman & Mulligan highlights that an internet-user possesses three expectations when online: (1) an expectation of anonymity, (2) an expectation of fairness and control over personal information, and (3) an expectation confidentiality (Berman & Mulligan 1999).All three expectations are eliminated through three critical cyberspace practices that are (Gindin, 1997): 1) personal information provided on the Internet, (2) online transactions, and (3) government record keeping. Although each practice provides only a minute description of an individual’s personal life, the slow accumulation of such descriptive material may eventually expose a detailed profi le (Mason 1986).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The consumers’ experiences on the Net concerning their privacy lists several themes. Beth Givens in his presentation, ‘Privacy Expectations in a High Tech World’ outlined the following themes on consumer experiences regarding privacy concerns: The first theme is the invisibility of data capture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A second theme is the potential ubiquitousness of data gathering, and the ability of data from several sources to be merged to create massive electronic dossiers on individuals. A third theme is invasion. Web sites can capture and track visitors’ clickstream data by placing small text files called â€Å"cookies† onto their hard drives. Unless users are savvy enough to set their browsers to notify them about the pending placement of a cookie, it is done without the user’s consent, and it’s an invisible process. A fourth theme is the fear of harm befalling Internet users – fear, and a fifth theme is confusion over their privacy rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The problem of privacy in e-commerce is concerned with the difficulty of securely conveying the information required for online transactions (Suprina, 1997 as cited in A.J.G. Sison).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Information technology and computer professionals began seriously considering the long-term effects of computer ethics in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They recognized the need to organize professionally through such bodies as the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers to devise professional codes of conduct. However, the increasing proliferation of powerful computers in the hands of nonprofessionals widens the scope of potential problems. PRIVACY AND ETHICAL INFORMATION AMBIGUITY Ethical ideologists have confusing opinions most of the time, and such problems can actually undermine ethical practices (Budd, 2005). In one profession, an action which is not ethically sound may not even be considered an offense in law. In many cases, there is no clear demarcation as to what is ethically wrong and what is legally offensive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These are some problems encountered by those who practice in the healthcare field, and there exists by no means a consensus on what should be done in such cases (AMA, 1994). For example, economic ethical theorists believe it is the right of every citizen of a country to access health and medical opportunities, irrespective of his financial status (Budd, 2005).   DISCLOSURE LAW IN HEALTH CARE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It must be agreed that the health sector is one of the most delicate and even complicated sectors of the national economy, and that it requires handling with utmost care. It is intimately concerned with handling the most delicate areas of personal information, as it is involved in the documentation of health records, and the treatment and handling of all ailments suffered by persons within society. So, the management of healthcare data requires competence and very high standard of ethics (Agelus, 2004). So here what must also inevitably be considered is the question of drafting laws and regulations to govern how this information can be secured in the best interest of the stakeholders (Morejon, 2006). Of importance is the question of what the ethical rules are, that govern security of these data and information. Also of importance is the protection of the rights of all concerned, and this is what shall be explored here. Sage (2000) has identified the fact of the extreme popularity of laws that require physicians, hospitals, and other health care organizations to give extensive disclosure privileges to patients and customers.   He continues: â€Å"The main issue that is currently being faced in the health care sector with the laws concerning disclosure is that they are unfocussed†. In the words of Sage (2000), they are â€Å"scattershot, reflecting short-term political compromises or the equities of individual lawsuits rather than a coherent understanding of the purposes served by mandatory disclosure and the conditions necessary to achieve desired effects.† So it is obvious that managing and securing business information is becoming a serious issue from the standpoint of ethics and law. In spite of this fact, persons who advocate disclosure are usually quick to point toward such laws issued concerning federal securities as models for healthcare disclosure laws. However, Sage goes on to point out that â€Å"well-designed information requirements can serve therapeutic goals regarding openness, trust, and participation and can remind physicians and other health professionals of the tensions between their daily practice environment and their overarching ethical obligations† (Sage, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Therefore, in order to design fitting ethical standards and regulations, the particular idiosyncrasies of the health care industry must be taken into consideration. This will necessitate the prioritizing of such issues as education of the public and overall improvement of performance in as far as social issues may have a bearing on decisions made in health care. Furthermore, financial considerations should not have too great a bearing on the privacy and self-d etermination rights of citizens (Hsinchun et al., 2005). These are some of the basic issues that must be kept in mind in understanding the important role the health care sector is playing in securing and managing information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Certain practices that may be acceptable in a health care setting are included below under the condition that measures are taken to keep   minimum disclosures and other ways of exposing delicate information (Sage, 2000):   Health care personnel are at liberty to coordinate actions orally for the service of patients when located at nursing stations within a hospital;   Doctors, nurses, and others responsible for patients are allowed to converse about the condition of a patient currently under their care, whether on the phone, in the presence of the patient, with a provider, or with another (authorized) family member;   Doctors and nurses are allowed to converse concerning test results from a   laboratory. They may do so with the patient or just amongst themselves in an area for joint treatment; and   Health care personnel are also allowed to discuss the condition of a patient when involved in rounds dedicated to training when in an institution that facilitates the training of health care workers (Sage, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also necessary are ethical measures that govern the language that might be used during the care of a patient. When talking in elevated tones becomes necessary in a less-than-private location, the language used should be carefully tailored and then reinforced as the proper method of oral communication among colleagues.   In the same way, businessmen who may be discussing classified information may not be aware of the ability of a person in another room to hear the details of their private conversation. Nothing forces this hearer to block his ears or otherwise ignore the delicate information being transmitted to him, and as a result he becomes privy to privileged information (Budd, 2005; Sage, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Self-protection mechanism can be described with the online users when they decide on the choices provided for them without any assistance.   When individuals chooses not reply to â€Å"Spam† e-mail even to request removal from a mailing list since replies indicate to a company that individual’s e-mail account is active and marketable (Navrette, 1998). Such measures protect privacy information by providing steps that may prevent the transmission of personal information to business and criminals. In this protective mechanism, individuals remain in control of their own personal information without the assistance of other groups. ROLE OF HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATOR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Health care industry is also a business industry including management and administrative responsibilities. The managers of the health care industry are called as health care administrators who take responsibilities for planning, direction, coordination, and supervision and the delivery of health care. Unlike the administrators in other industries, health care managers include specialists and generalists. Generalists manage or help manage an entire facility or system, while specialists are in charge of specific clinical departments or services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the rapid changing in the structure, technology adaptations, evolving integrated health care delivery systems, an increasingly complex regulatory environment, restructuring of work, and an increased focus on preventive care, the role of the health care administrator is also changing and modifying according to the situation. They are responsible to improve efficiency in health care facilities and the quality of the health care provided.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The health care administrators are responsible for the maintenance of patient records, health plans etc., along with the regular Information System managers. In order to maintain authentication and privacy of such key records, the Healthcare administrators should be flexible with the technology, requirements and the developments in and around the industry. The accurate and continuous maintenance of patient record database lies in the hands of the health care administrator and he should maintain the patient record database accurately and completely.   In addition,   as the health care data is also being shared with others for the purpose of research and compliance practices, the expertise and skill levels of health care administrators have become more crucial in maintaining privacy and ethical practices of the industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this context the health care administrators are often called on to maintain and develop professional standards, procedures, and policies for their institutional activities. The expanding role of the health care administrator includes management of preventive medicine and health care programs, medical and vocational rehabilitation, community health and welfare etc. which needs good leadership and managerial skills along with sound knowledge of policy and protection regulations. CONCLUSION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The review of the literature is also the main research method in this study. As such, it was found in the review that ethical standards in acquiring business information in the healthcare industries are much more rigid and organized compared to the ethical standards in the non-health care industries. Thus, the review   affirms the temporarily the hypothesis of this study. Thus, the next chapter would further discuss and analyze the ethical standards of both industries so as to make a conclusive finding regarding the hypothesis of this study.