Abraham Lincoln, Slavery and the Civil War Essay

Abraham Lincoln, Slavery and the Civil War - Essay Example As a leader from the Republican Party, Lincoln faced a number of challenges; there were demands by the republicans for harsher and cruel treatment against the South, extension of compromise towards the war democrats and last but not least, copperheads hated him. Hence South Carolina seceded from the union on December 20th 1860, followed by six states namely: Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida. The six states went ahead and formed the confederate states of America with Jefferson Davis, senator from Mississippi elected as their provisional president. In the beginning of the civil war, union victory required Lincoln to address the problem of slavery, as majority of the whites were anti-black (Johnson 113). Preventing the formal foreign recognition of the confederacy, building a citizen’s army that was ready to fight and die for the union, raising the American economy to meet the vast war needs and dealing with hatred by his people without infringing their democratic rights on which the nation built were Lincoln’s goals.... ditionally, the northern free blacks encouraged Lincoln to support slave rebellion and called for him to issue an emancipation proclamation (Johnson 134). Lincoln’s cabinet also advised him to wait till the union’s emphatic victory had happened, to announce the emancipation proclamation lest it would appear as an act of desperation. Its issue meant that all the slaves from the confederacy states began rebelling. They abandoned works at the farms and industries and mass action demanding their freedom and rights as human beings and citizens’ of the United States of America. Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation in order to cripple the Southern labour force and render them vulnerable. Emancipation proclamation was to free all the black slaves. Union states such as Kentucky, Missouri, New Orleans, Tennessee and Maryland rejected the move. Moreover, the moment Lincoln gave the 100 day period for the emancipation proclamation before it would go into effect, he w ent ahead and offered individual members from the confederate states three months gross period to rejoin the union. This meant that they would continue to enjoy the services slaves within their borders enjoyed. In conclusion, during the preliminary emancipation proclamation it is so clear that Lincoln goal was to end the civil war because, limitations included: not freeing all the slaves, and not overstepping constitutional authority. In the final Emancipation proclamation on Jan 1, 1863, Lincoln finally named the ten states that had not freed their slaves: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Arkansas. The main goal in this second proclamation was to end slavery and maintained that the blacks would be considered in the Union army and the

Discussion questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Discussion questions - Assignment Example This can be configured for the home setting so that it can include easy access to different personal files. The same can be done at school setting. It can be configured to include access to student records, for instance. The differences are in the actual content and security access measures. †¢ Internet Explorer is often updated. Imagine you need to explain to a CIO what needs to be explored before deciding whether he / she would need to adopt the new version or stay with the old version and why. The CIO must explore the benefits and drawbacks of IE 8 and to consider how they will affect the business. For instance, the advantages of IE 8 are security because of Smart Screen filter and other built-in security features, reliability, such as through Automatic Crash Recovery, manageability through manageability features, and accurately displaying Web content. Its drawbacks are: 1) as a closed-source system, to have add-ons means paying for a license and 2) it still has security issues. The CIO must think about the time and costs for the adoption of IE 8. †¢ The text implies that restricting the applications users can run on their computers creates a consistent workstation environment and provides increased security. As a CIO, take a position on this topic and support your position with supporting examples. How would your response differ if you were an end user? This is good if only one group of people accesses the computers. What if aside from IT, engineers also need access to the system? Should engineers ask for permission and access every time they need these computers? These restrictions will affect overall productivity. Security should not sacrifice the efficiency and effectiveness of the company as a whole. Restrictions must not be too limited, especially to those who need to use the computers for their various workplace needs. Employees should be able to use these computers according to their functions and security

Police Corruption Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Police Corruption - Research Paper Example ainly due to what is known as the â€Å"blue code of silence.† This code of silence is the unwritten code by which police believe that it is better to not report unethical and criminal conduct by ones’ police brethren for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons are that the police feel a sense of solidarity with one another, a sense of kinship and brotherhood, and this makes it difficult to report a fellow officer. Other reasons are that the culture of individual police forces encourages this silence by tacitly instilling, from the first day of training, the importance of developing this code of silence. Another reason is that police see one another as all dealing with the same level of corrupt citizenry, with breeds sympathy with one another and distrust of the citizens, which also makes it less likely to report misbehavior – the citizen probably â€Å"had it coming.† Still another reason is that there is a sense of fear that is instilled into the offic ers, as officers see whistle-blowers suffering social, psychological and career consequences from their willingness to report, and these officers do not want the same to happen to them. Consequently, it is difficult to measure the level of corruption, because police are not likely to report each other. It is further difficult to measure the level of corruption, due to the fact that individual police forces are reluctant to report corruption within their ranks, because the citizens put pressure on corrupt forces, which makes it more difficult to do their jobs. That said, corruption has been investigated and there has been successful policing of the police by independent agencies that gather knowledge about the forces and are able to use this knowledge to obtain convictions against police who engage in criminal behavior. Police corruption can run the gamut, from accepting gifts and gratuities, to using excessive force or drinking on the job. Wright (2010) has classified the types of corruptions that can

Legalize Marijuana Essay Example for Free

Legalize Marijuana Essay Marijuana has been vilified in America over the past 70+ years. Despite its many practical uses, medicinal and industrial, our Federal government insists on maintaining the status quo that the growth, possession and use of marijuana is criminal despite the evidence that the legalization of marijuana would have a positive influence on America. In this paper I will discuss the history of marijuana, the industrial uses of hemp, the prohibition of marijuana, the economic impact prohibition has on America, the effects of marijuana use on the mind and the body, marijuana for medical use, and how legalization of marijuana would have a positive influence on America. Although I support the legalization of marijuana I do not support the legalization of other Schedule I drugs, therefore this paper is not about the legalization of all drugs. Marijuana, as most people commonly know it, is really a plant called hemp, or cannabis sativa. There are other plants called hemp, but cannabis hemp is the most useful of these plants. Hemp is any durable plant used since prehistory for many purposes, and cannabis is the most durable of the hemp plants. The cannabis plant also produces three very important products that other plants do not, seed, pulp, and medicine. The cannabis sativa plant grows as weed and cultivated plant all over the world in a variety of climates and soils. Marijuana has been used throughout history; in 6000 B.C. cannabis seeds were used as food in China; in 4000 B.C. the Chinese used textiles made of hemp; the first recorded use of cannabis as medicine in China was in 2727 B.C.; and in 1500 B.C. the Chinese cultivated Cannabis for food and fiber. This time line goes on and on right through today. It is thought that hemp was first brought to the New World in 1545 by the Spanish; it was introduced in Jamestown by the English in 1611 where it became a major commercial crop alongside tobacco and was grown as a source of fiber. Our forefathers grew hemp; in fact it was the principal crop at Mount Vernon and it was a secondary crop at Monticello. There are recorded notes made by George Washington regarding the cultivation and harvesting of hemp. These hemp crops of course were grown for industrial use only and there is no indication that our forefathers were using their crops recreationally. Today the hemp grown for industrial purposes have extremely low levels of THC Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol delta 9-THC, the active component in cannabis therefore it is impossible to get high from such hemp grown for industrial use. During the Colonial Era Americans were legally bound to grow hemp. During the Second World War the federal government subsidized hemp and US farmers grew about a million acres of hemp as part of that program. Hemp is extraordinary in its diversity. There are over 25,000 different uses for the hemp plant. Because of how quickly hemp can be cultivated it is the Earth’s number one biomass resource. Hemp’s uses include but are certainly not limited to fuel; food, hemp seeds provide an incredible source of protein-not only for people but for birds who seek out hemp seeds which have been mixed with other seeds; paper; textiles, for example canvas, paper, cloth, rope; paint; detergent; varnish; oil; in; medicine; and building materials. Almost any product that can be made from wood, cotton, or petroleum including plastics can be made from hemp. In fact, hemp plastics are biodegradable. Besides its diversity, the practicality of utilizing hemp to its fullest potential is clear. Trees take from 50 to 100 years to grow; hemp’s growth cycle is 120 days. It is estimated that if the hemp pulp paper process reported by the USDA in 1916 were legal today it would soon replace 70% of all wood paper products. Despite all of its proven uses, all of which are beneficial to the planet Earth, the growth of industrial hemp in the United States remains a criminal act thanks to the robotic ravings of our federal government. President and founder of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Glenn Levant Hemp is marijuana. Philip Perry, special agent in charge of the DEAs Rocky Mountain Division ignorantly states, (Levant 1) the effort to decriminalize hemp is no more than a shallow ruse being advanced by those who seek to legalize marijuana. It should be noted that the selling hemp products are not illegal and in fact the U.S. hemp-products industry does about $125 million in retail sales a year. Although most states had local laws prohibiting marijuana use and possession, it wasn’t until 1937 that the federal government passed the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act. Interestingly, the congressional hearings on marijuana prohibition lasted all of two hours in direct contrast to most congressional hearings on new laws which last for days and days. There were exactly three bodies of testimonies testifying at these hearings. The first was Commissioner Harry Anslinger, the newly named commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics who happened to be appointed by his uncle-in-law, Andrew Mellon, who was the Secretary of the United States Treasury. Commissioner Anslinger testified on the government’s behalf. Not surprisingly he was working from a text which he had not written himself but which had been written for him by a New Orleans District Attorney. Reading directly from this text Commissioner Anslinger told the Congressmen at the hearings, Marihuana is an addictive drug which produces in its user’s insanity, criminality, and death. That was the Commissioner’s brilliantly insightful government testimony to support the marijuana prohibition. The second bodies of testimony to testify at this congressional hearing were industrial spokesmen. The first of these spokesmen was, believe it or not, a man representing the rope industry. This industry representative testified that it was cheaper to import from the Far East the hemp needed to make ropes and therefore the United States no longer needed to grow any more hemp to make rope. Five years later, in 1942, the United States was cut off from its sources of hemp in the Far East and, since we needed a lot of hemp to outfit our ships with rope for World War II, the Federal Government went into the business of growing hemp on gigantic farms throughout the Midwest and the South. The paint and varnish spokesmen didn’t seem to care either which way. The only industrial spokesperson who objected to the Marijuana Tax Act at all was the birdseed representative who sang the praises of hemp seeds for the birds’ coats. Based on this objection the birdseed industry got an exemption from the Marijuana Tax Act for denatured seeds. â€Å"The third body of testimony was two representatives of the medical field. The first testimony came from a pharmacologist who claimed that he had injected the active ingredient in marihuana into the brains of 300 dogs, two of which died. When asked by the Congressmen if he choose dogs for the similarity of their reactions to that of humans the answer of the Pharmacologist was, I wouldnt know, I am not a dog psychologist. The active ingredient in marijuana was first synthesized in a laboratory in Holland after World War II therefore it is unknown to this day what this pharmacologist injected into the dogs. The second testimony on behalf of the medical field came from the Chief Counsel to the American Medical Association, Dr. William C. Woodward. Dr. Woodward was the hearing to testify at the request of the American Medical Association. His exact quote to the congressmen was, The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marihuana is a dangerous drug. to which one of the Congressmen said, Doctor, if you cant say something good about what we are trying to do, why dont you go home? Remember, this testimony came from the Chief Counsel of the esteemed American Medical Association. It should be no surprise that the bill passed. The act did not itself criminalize the possession or usage of marijuana but instead levied a tax of approximately one dollar on anyone who dealt commercially in marijuana. The penalty provisions for violators of the proper procedures could result in a fine of up to $2000 and five years imprisonment. The intended result and indeed, the result of the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act was to effectively make it too risky for anyone to deal in the substance. During the war years the Bureau chose to concentrate on opiates and abandoned responsibility for most marijuana law enforcement to the states. In the post-war years, however, there was found to be a significant increase in narcotic drug abuse and the public began to be concerned with the spread of narcotic addiction, particularly among young persons. Congressional furor was aroused by the assertion that the use of marihuana inevitably led to the use of these harder drugs, particularly heroin. In 1951 Congress passed the Boggs Act, increasing penalties for all drug violators. It was at this time, for the first time in federal drug legislation, that marijuana and the narcotic drugs were lumped together, since the Act provided uniform penalties for the Narcotic Drugs Import and Export Act Boggs Act, ibid. and the Marihuana Tax Act. The states followed the federal lead. Then, in 1956, Congress passed the Narcotic Control Act, escalating the penalties still further. Once again the individual states followed suit. The current Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 is a consolidation of numerous previous laws regulating the manufacture and distribution of narcotics, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, anabolic steroids, and chemicals used in the illicit production of controlled substances. The CSA places all substances that are regulated under existing federal law into one of five schedules. This placement is based upon the substances medicinal value, harmfulness, and potential for abuse or addiction. Schedule I am reserved for the most dangerous drugs that have no recognized medical use, and, of course, is the current classification of marijuana. Public opinion on the medical value of marijuana has been sharply divided. Some dismiss medical marijuana as a hoax that exploits our natural compassion for the sick; others claim it is a uniquely soothing medicine that has been withheld from patients through regulations based on false claims. Proponents of both views cite scientific evidence to support their views and have expressed those views at the ballot box in recent state elections. In January 1997, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) asked the Institute of Medicine to conduct a review of the scientific evidence to assess the potential health benefits and risks of marijuana and its constituent cannabinoids. That review began in August 1997 and culminates with the report Marijuana and Medicine, Assessing the Science Base from the Institute of Medicine. This study was supported under Contract No. DC7C02 from the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy. This report summarizes and analyzes what is known about the medical use of marijuana; it emphasizes evidence-based medicine derived from knowledge and experience informed by rigorous scientific analysis, as opposed to belief-based medicine derived from judgment, intuition, and beliefs untested by rigorous science. After their nearly two-year review, the investigators affirmed Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation. Except for the harms associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range tolerated for other medications. However, the authors noted that cannabis inhalation would be advantageous in the treatment of some diseases, and that marijuanas short- term medical benefits outweigh any smoking-related harms for some patients. A most comprehensive and informative report on this subject is, The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition by Jeffrey A. Miron, Visiting Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Harvard University, which was published in June, 2005. This paper concludes. Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of legal regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement $2.4 billion at the federal level and $5.3 billion at the state and local levels. Revenue from taxation of marijuana sales would range from $2.4 billion per year if marijuana were taxed like ordinary consumer goods to $6.2 billion if it were taxed like alcohol or tobacco. These impacts are considerable, according to the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. For example, $14 billion in annual combined annual savings and revenues would cover the securing of all loose nukes in the former Soviet Union estimated by former Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb at $30 billion in less than three years. Just one years savings would cover the full cost of anti-terrorism port security measures required by the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. The Coast Guard has estimated these costs, covering 3,150 port facilities and 9,200 vessels, at $7.3 billion total. A further comprehensive study which reports and analyzes national arrest data between 1995 and 2002 is, Crimes of Indiscretion, Marijuana Arrests in the United States, compiled by Jon Gettman, PhD, published by The NORML Foundation in 2005. There are many reasons for marijuana wanting to be legal. It isn’t just the stoners and illegal distributers that want it, but also the people that use it for medicinal use. In my perspective that’s the reasoning for the bill not being passed. Just people seeing that one word marijuana, they take one look and think it’s just a group of pot heads that want to be able to smoke it legally. It can help many people probably everyone in the world if you think about it properly. Works Cited 1. Cruz, Veronica. â€Å"Gunmen Get Medical Pot from Home on NE Side†. Arizona Daily Star. 20 March, 2012: A1 A5. 2. Kurwa, Nishat. â€Å"Federal Agents Bust Marijuana School ‘Oaksterdam.’’’ NPR. NPR, 03 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. http://www.npr.org/2012/04/03/149937087/federal-agents-bust-marijuana-school-oaksterdam. 3. Legalizing Marijuana. Legalizing Marijuana. Web. 09 May 2012. http://www.uri.edu/personal/atro6990/. 4. Legalization of Marijuana. Legalize Marijuana, Legal Weed, Marijuana Facts. Web. 09 May 2012. http://legalizationofmarijuana.com/. 5. Schlosser, Eric. Reefer Madness, TheAtlantic: 1994. 6. â€Å"Up In Smoke.† The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 14 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. http://www.economist.com/node/21552609.

Highlights On The Ethical Dilemmas Of Standard Chartered Bank Business Essay

Highlights On The Ethical Dilemmas Of Standard Chartered Bank Business Essay Standard Chartered plc operates as the leading emerging markets bank in the world. The banking group, known by many in the banking industry as Stanchart, operates over 500 offices in 50 countries throughout the Asia Pacific region, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom, and North and South America. Its Consumer banking divisionresponsible for 58 percent of operating profit in 2000provides customers with credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, and investment services. Its Wholesale banking unit caters to corporate clients in the trade finance, cash management, custody, lending, foreign exchange, interest rate management, and debt capital markets. In 2000, the majority of SCBs revenue stemmed from its Hong Kong and Asia Pacific region operations, while the Middle East accounted for 18 percent, North and South America and the United Kingdom secured 14 percent, and Africa claimed 9 percent of revenues. The bank derives more than 90% of its operating income and profits from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, generated from its Wholesale and Consumer Banking Businesses. The group has approximately 1750 branches and outlets located in more than 70 countries. The London-headquartered Group has operated for more than 150 years in some of the worlds most dynamic markets, leading the way in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Its income and profits have more than doubled over the last five years, primarily as a result of organic growth, supplemented by acquisitions. The group employs 75,000 people, nearly half of whom are women. Its employees are of 115 nationalities, with 60 of these represented among senior management. Highlights on the ethical dilemmas of Standard Chartered Bank Although Standard Chartered Bank is an international bank and countries tend to trust it for its international standards, but being such a widespread company they have had their ethical criticisms. Some of the unethical dilemmas that the company has faced over the years are- Credit card complaints- Recently SCB has been facing extensive disputes in Asia particularly in India and Pakistan regarding the marketing of their credit cards. Figure 1:1- Reduction of the use of credit cards The governments trade watchdog, the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission, has started an investigation of card-selling practices of certain banks including Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC and the local banks ICICI and HDFC. The commission has the power to fine companies and limit their business dealings. All the banks involved say they have followed all appropriate trade practices and are cooperating with the requests for information. On May 7, the Reserve Bank sent a letter to all commercial banks warning about usurious interest rates, asking them to make sure costs to the borrowers were justifiable. The ombudsmans office at the bank said it received 3,700 consumer complaints about credit card lenders within just the first 5 months of 2006. Newspapers regularly run articles telling consumers how to cancel their cards, and some frustrated credit card users simply stop paying their bills. (http://www.consumercourt.in/cred it-card/2638-standard-chartered-bank-complaint.html) Stock market scandal (International Agenda)- A report on Indias biggest financial scandal during 1991 1992 accuses foreign banks of transacting dummy deals to cover up losses or camouflage transactions by favored Indian brokers. The report from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) exposes what it calls the nexus between Indian brokers and two foreign banks, Standard Chartered and Australia and New Zealand Banking Groups ANZ Grindlays Bank. The report accuses Standard Chartered of entering into fictitious transactions to cover up an ever-increasing number of unaccounted deals on its investment portfolio. The central bank of India has issued fines of roughly $42 million to 10 foreign banks, including Citibank, Bank of America, American Express Bank Ltd. and Standard Chartered Bank, accusing them of involvement in Indias worst securities scandal. SCB violated its guidelines by financing certain stock market operations, as well as helping out a fathered broker, Harshad Mehta, by putting thro ugh a number of dummy transactions. (Sanjoy Zakaria, 1994, New York Times) Acquisitions and outsourcing threat- In Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia in the financial master plan encouraged outsourcing of non-core functions by Financial Institutions. Ever since, banks have been exploring outsourcing as a way to rationalize and streamline operation. While outsourcing is a way forward to reduce cost, manage manpower dependencies and to allow financial institutions to focus on its core business of providing services and financial products, such outsourcing is done without prior consultation with workers representative namely SBEU. Reduction of staffs not only occurs to those directly affected by the outsourcing of the job functions, but also other complementary staff areas. Example, outsourcing of Sales and Marketing job in Standard Chartered Bank has transferred jobs originally done by Special Grade Clerical. Indirectly, this will reduce career promotion prospect. The bank has also use rationalization (due to outsourcing) as an excuse to close branches and scale down others. In the case of Standard Chartered Bank, the bank has gone on closing 15 branches nationwide with two in Sarawak according to Law Kiat Min, General Secretary of Sarawak Bank Employees Union. Evaluation of the Ethical Dilemmas Faced by Standard Chartered Bank Credit card complaints- The consumer court in India has been tackling problems regarding unfair credit card charges and improper means to withdraw the phony due amount, Credit Card Terms Prompt Indignation Arigit Sengupta, a hotel manager in Bangalore, swears he is never using a credit card again. Skip to next paragraphAfter charging about 30,000 rupees ($743) to his card and paying his minimum balance on time, he said he wound up owing his bank more than three times that amount. The kind of interest they charge, not even a chartered accountant could understand, he said. Local and foreign banks are aggressively peddling credit card accounts in India, where a fast-growing middle class with disposable income has created the ideal card customer base. (Refer to Appendix-2) Even though the firm is maintaining the contractual theory with a customer during selling these credit cards, which represents that firms have a responsibility to comply with the terms of the sale, inform the customers about the nature of the product, avoid misrepresentation of any kind, and not coerce the customer in any way. But on the other hand SCB is overlooking the due care theory which focuses on the relative vulnerability of the customer, who has less information and expertise than the firm, and the ethical responsibility that places on the firm. Customers must depend on the firm providing the product or service to live up to the claims about it and to exercise due care to avoid customer injury. The result is vocal and heated criticism from card holders, consumer advocates and the government. They accuse the banks of levying unfair fees and nuisance charges and of providing miserable customer service. These banks are cheating the public, said C. V. Giddappa, general secretary of the Credit Card Holders Association of India, a nationwide consumer group. Mr. Giddappas organization estimates that Indian consumers are paying 16.4 million rupees a day (more than $406,000) in unfair charges, and is agitating for a debt-free India by 2020. Stock market scandal (International Agenda) Regarding the particular scandal in 1991 1992 in India a spokesman for Standard Chartered said some of the report was misleading, particularly the conclusion that senior managers were aware of the fraud. Barry Northrop, who heads a Standard Chartered team trying to recover the banks losses in the scandal, said the fictitious deals were created without the knowledge of senior management and in defiance of both internal and RBI guidelines. Individuals involved had been dismissed and procedures tightened. In terms of theories SCB has complied according to Milton Friedmans theory (1970) regarding corporate social responsibility, which interprets that the only legitimate purpose of a company is to create wealth and pursuing their business effectively for the benefit of their customers, whilst providing a profitable reward to their investors. Being a foreign bank SCB acted upon their best interest financially, according to Friedman its the role of the state to provide the legal framework that regulated companies behaviour in relation to the rest of the community, the government or any appointed monitoring entity should have foreseen such a scandal and prevented it from occurring. But in the context of Kants theory, deontology or duty-based ethics that judges morality by examining the nature of actions and the will of agents rather than goals achieved or simply a deontological theory looks at inputs rather than outcomes. Therefore since this move of SCB was clearly unfavourable for the economy of India, it worked as a bad reputation for the bank as well as other foreign banks. (Refer to Appendix-3) Acquisitions and outsourcing threat- The practice of outsourcing is considered as a good option, since it provides guaranteed professional assistance for businesses without the expenses of maintaining fulltime employees, but it also poses as a threat for the domestic countries work force. Outsourcing for talent leads to lack of job security for the local employees. Standard Chartered bank and a few other international banks in Malaysia has been outsourcing extensively which has lead to an inconvenience for the employees of the nation. The provision in the Collective Agreement only requires the Bank to consult the Union prior to outsourcing. Outsourcing has inevitably reduced headcount of staff of financial institutions. Attempts by unions to negotiate with the bank to ensure that when staff moved over to the new entity (outsourcing company), and retain their seniority, pay and benefits has not been successful. While it is not possible to extent exact figure of employees who lost thei r job due to outsourcing, it is estimated that about 30% of employees are directly affected numbering about 1,000 staffs. This figure is expected to increase due to continued rationalization and system engineering. Outsourcing takes two forms, namely, transfer of job function to head office prior to outsourcing in the case of Bumiputra Commerce Bank or direct outsourcing which happened in Standard Chartered Bank. Based on such outcomes and considering SCBs current status as one of the best multinational financial institutions, Carrolls (1979) four step model on CSR can be used to stress the depth of the duty an organization needs to comply. The first two steps of the model remain evident, but the last two steps addresses particularly to the dilemma SCB is facing. Since Carroll believes that because a company can affect the interests and even lives of people, it should be accountable/responsible, to societal interests over those of the owners and beyond the specific limits of the law. Best Ethical Values and Practices of Standard Chartered Bank Even though Standard Chartered Bank has had a reputation of using unethical means to reach a much beneficial end in terms of the companys market expansion. Although the British Empire isnt as global as it used to be, that hasnt stopped Standard Chartered. Sustainability is integral to Standard Chartered. Worldwide and in Malaysia, the bank champions dedicated causes, one of them being environment. The organization believes that each person can make a difference, and through small steps, the collection action contributes to the overall impact as the community unites to preserve the environment for future generations. The organization is cognizant of getting it right in the home, before moving out to the neighborhood. The strategy of embedding the environment consciousness among the staff was a key focus for SCB in growing green advocates. As such, their green agenda is woven into every level of the banks operations. Environmental and Social Awareness- Over the last two years, Standard Chartered has run multiple activities and programs focusing on self-awareness, reducing wastage and lowering carbon footprint under its umbrella theme, Go Green, Lets Make a Difference. From cutting back on air travel to implementing shared-printer facility between departments, the results have been very heartening. The bank has seen as much as 50% reduction in air travel, 20% in paper consumption, 50% reduction in air travel and 10% in electricity usage, and the introduction of e-statements with customers. Higher targets are set for 2011. The bank is already using recycled paper for their business cards, and sourcing to adopt recyclable paper in all their operations Their other programs, Seeing is Believing (preventing curable blindness), Living with HIV/AIDS, Financial Literacy Programme, are being tackled on ground with face-to-face interaction given theres a higher level of social sensitivity surrounding these causes. All the following mentioned above directs to the theory of Consequentialism; consequentialist ethics bases decision-making on the best outcome for the largest group that also results in the least harm. It is a form of utilitarian ethics, which focuses on results rather than ingrained moral imperatives. The utility principle requires the decision-maker to weigh the possible consequences of his or her actions to select options that offer the best results for society. This has lead SCB in attaining the title of one of the worlds most ethical companies in four consecutive years till 2010 all in recognition of its ongoing commitment to build a sustainable business for the benefit of customers, clients and the wider communities in whi ch it operates. (Refer to Appendix-4) Workforce Diversity- With more and more organizations going global, diversity at work is increasingly becoming an integral part of every organization. Diversity refers to any perceived difference among people like age, race, religion, profession, sexual orientation, geographic origin and lifestyle. SCB has started their journey of diversity and inclusion in India from 2006 with formation of the DI Council. SCB initially started by concentrating on three aspects of diversity, gender, disability and nationality. Some of the key concerns were the infrastructure of the working women, work-life balance, and barriers to growth. A series of focused group discussions were conducted to understand and address these concerns to help position Standard Chartered as the employer of womens choice, states Rajashree Nambiar, GM distribution and country champion, diversity and inclusion, Standard Chartered Bank. From an ethical perspective the bank has been exercising virtue ethics which focuses on t he individuals moral stature rather than the morality of the act itself. A moral actor will base his or her decisions on ingrained values rather than consequences or duty. However, the individual is part of a community so the virtues valued by the community affect the individual decision-makers thought processes. A cultures values are incorporated into the individuals ethical framework. As a global bank, the variety of markets they do business in makes them diverse inherently. In terms of gender diversity; women make up to 46Â  per cent of their total workforce and the number of women in senior management roles has also increased. To increase female representation amongst senior management they focused on creating a pipeline of high-potential female employees at middle management. In 2008, they developed a mentoring programme for their middle management talent, with a specific focus on women. The Bank actively supports International Womens Day. Across their markets, and organize a variety of activities to recognize the achievements of women and highlight role models. In 2008, SCB renewed focus on attracting and supporting potential employees with disabilities. Over the last 12 months, the Group trained and hired a number of blind employees in Pakistan, employed their first visually challenged employee in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. SCB also launched initiatives to support employees with family responsibilities, and new maternity and paternity leave policies were rolled out in Bangladesh, Lebanon, US and Australia in 2008. Recommendation According to the reasonings mentioned above it is clear that SCB initially made a lot of wrong moves which was mostly in their own interest, but gradually when they started being internationally recognized they have tried substantially to improve their ethical ways as a corporation. They not only provided international job opportunities in the economies they settled in, they also came up with various social awareness activities e.g. fund-raising, and city beautification programs in the countries they are operating. Since they are a service based organization their only way of communicating to their customers should be through goodwill building and transparent publication of their intentions and actions. On the other hand the governments of the countries where MNCs like SCB operate should assign more efficient and reliable monitoring bodies for convenience. References Text Books/Articles- Fisher, C Lovell, A, Business Ethics and Values: Individual, Corporate and International Perspectives, 3rd Edition, Pearson Education, 2009 Crane, A Matten, D, Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization, 2nd Edition Oxford University Press, 2007 Laurie J. Mullins, Management and Organisation behavior, 8th Edition, FT Prentice Hall, 2007 Jacques P. Thiroux, Keith W. Krasemann, Ethics: Theory and Practice, 10th Edition, Pearson Education 2009 De Geaorge, Richard T., Business Ethics, 7th Edition, Pearson Education 2010 Lawrence, P.R. and Lorsch, J.W., Organisation and Environment, Irwin, 1969 Press statement April 2002 to Standard Chartered Bank on Closure and downsizing of branches -pages 7-9 Websites- www.consumercourt.in/credit-card/2638-standard-chartered-bank-complaint.html www.gbcimpact.org/itcs_node/0/0/member_profiles/434 www.csrdigest.com/2010/08/going-green-using-social-media/ www.newyorktimes.com www.thetimesofindia.com www.timesnewspaper.com www.standardchartered.com

Imperfect Conscience in Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment Essay

Crime and Punishment:   Imperfect Conscience  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A highly educated individual, avoiding the hardships of society while pondering the possibility of great wealth, Raskolnikov, in Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment," frustrated with his immoral actions, suffers from an abrupt physical and mental breakdown after brutally mutilating a wicked pawnbroker. After this soul-scarring incident, the initial feelings of success in completing his mission quickly changes once he realizes possible flaws in his, otherwise considered, perfect murder. Raskolnikov's imperfect conscience finally comes to an emotional awakening once his saint, Sonya, an unintelligent prostitute, brings him the love, sensitivity, and inner serenity to help him confess to the murder he so coldly commits. After ruminating on the pessimistic consequences of this crude and selfish murder, a change in conscience comes over Raskolnikov. Once he understands the reality of the matter does he actually suffer a breakdown. Though he commits a very serious crime, Raskolnikov still refuses to believe its contin...

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley :: Papers

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley The author of this play is John Boynton Priestley. The Inspector Calls is set out in 1912, around two years before the outbreak of the Fist World War. Looking back on it now, or the perspective of 1945 when the play was actually produced in the Edwardian era. Priestly uses this era to show irony because in the play he talks about the Titanic not sinking and a war never occurring again. This was very ironic especially to the audience in 1945 because they would already know that the Titanic had sunk and had also experienced wars between the time the play was set and the time it was produced. In this play there is a rich, upper class family who were named the Birlings. In this family there was money the minded father of the family called Mr Birling and his wife. They had two children in the name of Eric and Sheila. Sheila was engaged to a rich man's son called Gerald Croft. This play is all about a suicide case involving this family. An officer who is called Inspector Goole is investigating the case. He is a hard talking inspector, who is trying to find out why Eva Smith (the person who committed suicide) took her life. In this essay I will examine how Priestly ends each act on a note of high drama. I will look at how the tension builds up and will describe how priestly leaves the audience plenty to think about during the ends of the acts and during the invitation. At the end of act one Gerald admits that he knew Daisy Renton (Eva Smith). He only says that he knew her and was hesitant to go on and explain how he knew Eva. "All right. I knew her. Lets leave it at that" After Gerald says that sentence tension begins to build between him and Sheila. Priestly presents this drama and tension by building it up gradually in the conversation. Tension is very high and increases hen Sheila figures out what the relationship between Gerald and Eva was. An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley :: Papers An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley The author of this play is John Boynton Priestley. The Inspector Calls is set out in 1912, around two years before the outbreak of the Fist World War. Looking back on it now, or the perspective of 1945 when the play was actually produced in the Edwardian era. Priestly uses this era to show irony because in the play he talks about the Titanic not sinking and a war never occurring again. This was very ironic especially to the audience in 1945 because they would already know that the Titanic had sunk and had also experienced wars between the time the play was set and the time it was produced. In this play there is a rich, upper class family who were named the Birlings. In this family there was money the minded father of the family called Mr Birling and his wife. They had two children in the name of Eric and Sheila. Sheila was engaged to a rich man's son called Gerald Croft. This play is all about a suicide case involving this family. An officer who is called Inspector Goole is investigating the case. He is a hard talking inspector, who is trying to find out why Eva Smith (the person who committed suicide) took her life. In this essay I will examine how Priestly ends each act on a note of high drama. I will look at how the tension builds up and will describe how priestly leaves the audience plenty to think about during the ends of the acts and during the invitation. At the end of act one Gerald admits that he knew Daisy Renton (Eva Smith). He only says that he knew her and was hesitant to go on and explain how he knew Eva. "All right. I knew her. Lets leave it at that" After Gerald says that sentence tension begins to build between him and Sheila. Priestly presents this drama and tension by building it up gradually in the conversation. Tension is very high and increases hen Sheila figures out what the relationship between Gerald and Eva was.