Consequentialism Is A Philosophical Theory That Offers A Systematic Ap

Consequentialism is a philosophical theory that offers a systematic approach to reaching ethical and moral conclusions. Consequentialists believe that in making a decision regarding a moral or ethical issue, one must heavily consider the outcome of the action. A moral and good decision would ultimately result in overall net happiness, and in contrast wrong and immoral actions would result in net displeasure or pain. At first, this theory seems logical in terms of weighing the utility actions that lead to promotion of good and happiness. However, closer investigation brings attention to the numerous objections and obvious conflicts with out basic moral intuitions. When adopting the theory of consequentialism, the decision-making process might seem far too simple. This theory provides a ?single criterion for right action.? (Arras 10) A moral decision can be made with ease, even in instances of dilemma, using the theory of consequentialism. According to the ?Greatest Happiness Principle,? a moral action or decision is one that tends to promote overall net happiness. On the other hand, an action that would be found morally unjust would ultimately produce the opposite of happiness. In the event that an action were to produce two different conditions, the right, or moral, action is one that produces the most overall happiness or pleasure. Besides the facility of the theory in reaching conclusions, consequentialism is one of impartiality. According to this theory, only the results of actions are relevant in assessing morality. One must discard ?considerations of ?intentions, feelings, or convictions.? (Arras 9) At the same time, ties to family and f riends, as well as the idea that suffering and sacrifice have moral value or worth, must be discarded. Adopting the idea of impartiality requires consideration to be given to all parties equally. One is no longer bound by such ties as kinship and can make unbiased decisions. Thus, alleviating a great amount of stress in coming to final conclusions. To the untrained eye, this theory seems quite appealing, but soon, the theory becomes riddled with inconsistencies and conflicts. The downfalls of this theory can be illustrated in the following case. There are five patients that are inflicted with a fatal disease. The agent's kin is afflicted with a fatal disease as well. A cure, however, can be made using the ground body parts of the agent's kin. There is no known cure for the disease of the agent's kin. A consequentialist would easily come to a moral decision by practicing the ideas of consequentialism. The fact that the one to be sacrificed in the agent's kin has no effect on the outcome. By sacrificing one, five are saved, and an outcome that provides a greater net positive is attained. Therefore, it would be, according to consequentialism, the agent's moral obligation to sacrifice his kin to save the five other people. Using this example, one can clearly object to the theory of consequentialism. We live in a society that teache s and nurtures the idea of close-knit family structures. We are taught to believe that ?blood is thicker than water? and that the ties of kinship are ones that withstand even the test of time. It would be virtually impossible to completely ignore the fact that the one to be sacrificed is in fact related to the agent. Even if it were possible, the idea of killing a fellow human being, albeit to save five others, contradicts our very basic moral intuitions that lead us to believe that the killing of another human, justified or not, is in fact immoral and inexcusable. Finally, because only the final outcome of the decision is relevant, one must carefully consider every possible outcome when judging whether or not more good or more harms will be the likely result. It would be virtually impossible to sit and ponder all the possible consequences of every action. Who is to say that the life of the sacrificed person is valued at 1/5 of the five saved as a whole? Because we cannot put a meas urable value on life, it is not plausible to assume that saving the five would result in more happiness and good. The previous example provides that the consequentialist would consider the idea of pondering every possible consequence of actions

Plate Tectonics Essays - Plate Tectonics, Continental Drift

Plate Tectonics Essays - Plate Tectonics, Continental Drift Plate Tectonics Plate Tectonics Since the beginning of human kind there has been a cloud of wonder regarding the origin of our planet. Scientist interested in this field through out the years have developed many different theories to how our planet came about. Before the Twentieth Century, scientist and geologist alike revolved in the idea that Mountain building was due to the massive contractions of the earth caused by the gradual cooling of molten rocks. In 1900, American scientist Joseph Le Conte, published an article in the Appletons Popular Scientific Monthly. He described that the problem in understanding mountain building was establishing the cause of sideways pressure. The most obvious and as yet the most probable view is that it is the result of the secular contraction of the earth which has gone on throughout the whole history and is still going on. (2) It was not until 1910, that an American Geologist named F.B.Taylor, proposed the idea of a continental drift. His scientific peers dismissed Taylors idea, because there was just not enough proof. However, Taylors idea was then resurfaced by a German scientist named Alfred Wegener. He proposed that the continents surrounding the Atlantic Ocean, Africa and South America fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Wegener was a balloonist, astronomer, explorer, meteorologist, while in his spare time he researched paleontology, geophysics and geology. His broad range of studies enabled him to incorporate his theory of Plate Tectonics. Wegener, later in 1915 while in sick leave from the German military published his idea that interpreted how his continental drift theory worked. He proposed that a huge landamass called Pangea, meaning (all land) existed 200 million years ago. He furthered explained that this super continent began to drift apart very slowly throughout millions of years into what it looks like now. Wegener went on several expeditions through out his life to the continents of South America and Africa. He came back with evidence to support his claim of plate tectonics. Wegener and his expedition brought back rock structures, fossils, and evidence of ancient climates. When it came to rock structures, Wegener looked for the similarities of the rocks found along coastlines and the mountain belts found on the continents. They looked at the mountain belts of the Appalachian Mountains and the Caledonian Mountains in Scandinavia and the British Isles. These two continuos belts contained similar rock structures and the ages of these rocks matched the on both ends of the African and South American continents. Wegener also found evidence of massive climatic changes. He researched and found out that ancient glacial deposits were found indicating that ice sheets covered a large part of the Southern Hemisphere, India and Australia. Wegener's explanation of the glaciation was that the landmasses where all fitted together as a super continent with South Africa centered over the South Pole. (1.) Pag. 474) He furthered explained that the Northern Hemisphere was near the equator supporting the idea of coal deposits being located there. Wegener was more intrigued o f the fact that fossilized remains were being found along South America and Africa. Remains of the aquatic prehistoric dinosaur called Mesosaurus were only found in eastern South America and Africa. Plant remains were also being found. For example the fossil fern Glossopteris were found sparingly throughout Africa, Australia, India, and South America. Furthermore, this plant was found in polar climates, supporting his theory of connected landmasses. Organisms like the Australian Marsupials and the marsupial opossums found in the Americas, which have a definite fossil link also supports Wegeners theory. Alfred Wegeners theories were not immediately accepted by the scientific community. One of his faults was that he could not prove how the continents moved across the globe. Wegeners suggestion was that tidal influence from the moon(1. Pag. 475) was to be credited. However the science community proved him wrong. Eventhough he was in the right direction, he could not completely and precisely determine how the continental drift was accomplished. Therefore, his theories were dropped as rubbish. Essentially, Wegener was ahead of his time. It was not until years later that other scientist cleaned up some of Wegeners mistakes and resurfaced the Plate Tectonics theory. Thanks to the study of magnetism a whole

HR Manager Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HR Manager Interview - Essay Example Ahmed has held these positions since 1999. He also holds a Masters degree in Economics. Ayoub was born and raised in Jordan. He is currently in the positions of training manager and acting human resources manager. Ayoub has attained a Masters degree in Economics. In 1993, Ayoub moved to Qatar and have thus been working for the Qatar International Islamic Bank for over 15 years. One of the driving factors that led Ayoub to a career in human resources management was that it is a wide open field and much enjoyment can be received from it. Ayoub’s strengths in the human resources department are that he is well-organized, shows great leadership qualities, displays intuition, and tries to get the most out of fellow coworkers. One of the biggest challenges that Ayoub has faced during his career was when he was picked to work in the finance department. Unfortunately, his background in accounting was very weak. To remedy this problem, he took immediate action to gain as much knowledge as he could in a relatively short space of time. In his current role, Ayoub is in charge of imposing the bank’s policies of the human resources department. One thing that Ayoub mentioned was the key stages in the recruitment process of a human resources department. The first thing is to advertise the job far and wide so that many highly skilled candidates can apply. The next step is to sort out all of the CVs based on the job description. Qualifications and experience are also key things to consider. A shortlist then needs to be made and phone interviews conducted with each candidate on the list. Once this list can be shortened down, each of the remaining candidates can be given a face-to-face interview. The final decision is then made after each of the final candidates has been interviewed in person. Ayoub said that when it comes to stress in the workplace, the key is to develop existing support systems to make them more efficient. Specialization

Family and children's issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Family and children's issues - Essay Example Some of the countries that had deemed spanking as illegal are Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and New Zealand to mention a few (Legal Reforms). Professional organizations also oppose to spanking as a way to discipline a child; one of these organizations is the American Psychological Association (Corporal Punishment). They argue that resorting to physical punishment would not discipline a child but would instead teach the child to instill authority by physical means. In some parts of these countries and organizations’ argument, it is agreeable that other people should not do the spanking because the parents are the only ones who should spank their children. However, this does not give parents freedom to hurt their child whenever the child makes a mistake. The psychological state and values of the parents are a big factor and should be greatly considered in this issue. The state and the organizations should have first considered teaching parents how to be responsible instead of instan tly prohibiting this way of disciplining a child. It can be stated then that guarding responsible parenthood should have been the first matter that these countries had looked into. Responsible parenthood should be also be approached first for further studies and development by these professional organizations since it is the behavior of the parents first that should be controlled. After all, the parents are the immediate adults the children interact with and not the people from the state or from the research

Answers to Burger King case study questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Answers to Burger King questions - Case Study Example Franchising helps to increase the profitability of the business and eliminate unnecessary start up cost. The success of the fast food industry does not only depend upon the franchising method but also depends upon implementation of effective marketing strategies. To achieve global leadership in its industry a fast food restaurant needs to set a series of financial goal and strategic goals. Global leadership by a fast food restaurant can be attained if a company is adept at discovering the new market opportunities, establishing a strong presence in the international markets and securing a competitive advantage. Effective strategic planning is required for attaining profitability in the domestic and international markets. Firstly, the management of the company needs to clearly define its reasons for expanding its operation in the foreign market. A comparative analysis of the political social, cultural environment of different countries would be required for screening purposes. Critical Success Factors are strongly related to the mission and strategic goals of your business or project. ... e production process (How long the French fries must be fried?) 4) Hygiene standards must be maintained in all the branches of the fast food restaurant 5) Standardized menu must be available worldwide (Cao â€Å"Comparison of customers' perceptions of service quality between different management forms in fast food restaurants†). The other key success factor include proper distribution channels, innovative advertising strategies etc. It is a well accepted fact that fast food restaurants should have a sound understanding of the consumer behavior, tastes and preferences and fast food outlets and how it differs across various countries. Understanding the cultural differences between the countries will help the fast food restaurant to customize their menu as per the taste and preference of the local customers. For example McDonalds serves lamburgers in India because beef and pork burgers are not served for religious purposes. In USA and Canada people prefer to eat most of their mea ls outside their homes (Vivavegie â€Å"Fast food facts from the super size me web site†). It is observed that the consumer spending on fast food does not decrease even during recession due to the quick serving ability and its reduced price. The timing of the delivery of the food also plays a prominent role in the customer service of the fast food restaurants. Since obesity has become major health concern in the USA, UK and Canada, the fast food restaurants need to lay emphasis on nutritional requirement and calorie content of the fast food. Thus we can say that factors like 1) Taste of food 2) Hygiene 3) Service response time 4) Pricing of the product 5) Courtesy and behavior of the employees 6) Operating hours 7) Variety in menu 8) Nutritional requirement in the food 9) Amenity play an important

Business Applications Of Information Systems Information Technology Essay

Business Applications Of Information Systems Information Technology Essay Introduction Information System handles the flow and maintenance of information that supports a business or some other operation. Information is derived from meaningful interpretation of data. Data consists of the raw facts representing events occurring in the environment. An Information System can be defined technically as a set of interrelated components that collect (or retrieve), process, store and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organization. Using information systems effectively requires an understanding of the organization, management, and information technology shaping the systems. All information systems can be described as organizational and management solutions to challenges posed by the environment. An understanding of the effective and responsible use and management of information systems and technologies is important for managers, business professionals, and other knowledge workers in todays internetworked enterprises. Information systems play a vital role in the e-business and e-commerce operations, enterprise collaboration and management, and strategic success of businesses that must operate in an internetworked global environment. Thus, the field of information systems has become a major functional area of business administration. Business Applications of Information Systems Information systems perform three vital roles in business firms. Business applications of IS support an organizations business processes and operations, business decision-making, and strategic competitive advantage. Major application categories of information systems include operations support systems, such as transaction processing systems, process control systems, and enterprise collaboration systems, and management support systems, such as management information systems, decision support systems, and executive information systems. Other major categories are expert systems, knowledge management systems, strategic information systems, and functional business systems. However, in the real world most application categories are combined into cross-functional information systems that provide information and support for decision-making and also perform operational information processing activities. An information system (IS) can be any organized combination of people, hardware, software, communications networks, and data resources that collect, transforms, and disseminate information in an organization. Information Technologies:Business professionals rely on many types of information systems that use a variety of information technologies. For example: Types of IS- Manual (paper-and-pencil) information systems- Informal (word-of-mouth) information systems- Formal (written procedures) information systems- Computer-based information systems Computer-based information systems (IS) use hardware, software, the Internet, and other telecommunications networks, computer-based data resource management techniques, and other forms of information technologies (IT) to transform data resources into a variety of information products for consumers and business professionals. The role of Information System in an Organisation Information systems perform three vital roles in any type of organization. That is, they support an organizations: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Business processes and operations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Decision making by employees and managers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Strategies for competitive advantage Analysing Royal Caribbean International We can learn a lot about the challenges of revitalizing and redirecting information technology in a company from the Real World Case of Royal Caribbean International. Take a few minutes to read it, and we will discuss it (See Royal Caribbean International: Renewing and Realigning IT with Business in Section IX). The Major Roles of IS: Examples [Figure 1.9] Three major roles of the business applications of information systems include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Support Business Processes involves dealing with information systems that support the business processes and operations in a business. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Support Decision Making help decision makers to make better decisions and attempt to gain a competitive advantage. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Support Competitive Advantage help decision makers to gain a strategic advantage over competitors requires innovative use of information technology. Information System Implementation New information technologies offer scholarly publishers an historic opportunity to increase speed and efficiency of production, add convenience for contributors, and enhance value for readers. The implementation of these systems, however, involves substantial risk. Information technology (IT) projects can and often do fall short of their objectives for a variety of reasons, including cost overruns, resistance from staff or external users, and failure of the technology to perform as expected Elements of complete IS implementation 1 . Development of computer applications for business transactions, such as production, marketing, selling, etc. 2 . Development of management information systems for effective business control 3 . Planned introduction and use of computers and telecommunications 4. Creation of an overall systems and standards architecture for technology, applications and data 5. Development of information systems for business planning 6. Improved productivity in information systems and computing 7. Development of appropriate staff resources 8. Development of internal support systems (payroll, personnel, pensions, etc.) Information System Implementation Success Implementing systems such as the electronic medical record and computerized physician order entry is a complex and difficult organizational undertaking. These implementations require political mobilization of the medical and nursing staffs, reengineering of clinical processes, significant capital commitments, management of large-scale projects and major changes to the IT infrastructure. The magnitude of this undertaking leads to a high failure rate, which some estimate to be as high as 50 percent. Still, some organizations have succeeded thanks to a combination of clear goals, partnership and implementation skills: Strong organizational vision and strategy. Successful organizations have developed a vision of patient care and a strategy to achieve that vision that is compelling, clear and understood by the members of the organization. This vision describes the critical need for excellence in care delivery and points to clinical systems as essential, strategic contributions to the vision. Most information systems initiatives do not require the bedrock of a compelling organizational vision, but clinical information system implementations do. These systems require the commitment and efforts of virtually all staff. They require deep change in operational and clinical processes. And, they require that other investment opportunities be put off, often for several years. For information system implementations of this significance to succeed, the organization must understand why it is doing so and believe that success is essential. Talented and committed leadership. Systems implementation and the related changes in the organization must be guided by senior leadership. This leadership must come from the board and all senior members of the administrative and medical staffs. These leaders must have the ability to inspire and mobilize others to get things done. They must actively engage in changing the organization, and once committed, they must have the strength to thoughtfully stay the course. These leaders must ask hard questions about the systems and their implementation. And they must be pragmaticsuperb practitioners of the art of the possible. A partnership between the clinical, administrative and information technology staffs. Across the strata of the organization, many effective, multidisciplinary teams will be needed. These teams will design information systems, develop new ways to do the work, revise policies and procedures, craft implementation steps, develop training materials and create approaches to resolving inevitable problems. Team members must view their efforts as a partnership. They must illustrate the attributes of high performance teams: skilled, honest, dedicated, willing to compromise and focused on the overall goal. Excellent implementation skills. The implementation of complex information systems requires deep skill. These skills need to occur in two critical areas: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Project management is needed to define, manage and monitor the large number of tasks, staff and resources that are being brought to the implementation. Good project management requires clear definitions of scope, well-reasoned delineation of tasks, astute assignment of accountability for task performance, flexibility in addressing problems and necessary changes in direction, and the ability to identify and resolve problems. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Support is the set of activities that causes an application to stick, that is, to become an integral part of the fabric of practice. Support includes training, responsive enhancements, ongoing communication, discussion of status and problems, and crafting the evolution of clinical policies and procedures. Good to excellent IT. No information system is perfect, and users will find limitations in any clinical information system. Nonetheless, the applications need to be good enough to support the work that needs to be done. These systems must be able to handle critical changes in functionality that are required to address desired workflow and reporting needs. These systems should improve the work lives of providers rather than hinder them. Types of implementation plans Three general tactical implementation plans: The process of putting the new information system online and retiring the old system is known as system changeover. There are four changeover methods which are: > Direct cutover: The direct cutover approach causes the changeover from the old system to the new system to occur immediately when the new system becomes operational. It is the least expensive but involves more risks than other changeover methods. Advantage As we know health centre does not have enough funds for implementing the new system so it would be easier to implement direct cutover method in the health centre. Disadvantage This method of system changeover involves more risks of total system failure and it is preferred for commercial software packages. So if there is a system failure in health centre then it will be difficult to store information of child who visits health centre. And if there is no proper storage then there will be incorrect reports and monitoring of childs health will not be properly done. > Parallel operation: The parallel operation changeover method requires that both the old and the new information systems operate fully for a specified period. Data is input to both systems and output generated by the new system is compared with the equivalent output from the old system. When users, management, and IT group are satisfied that the new system operates correctly then the old system is terminated. It is the most costly changeover method and involves lower risks. Advantage The advantage of parallel system is lower risk of system failure so all the tasks can be done properly at health centre. If the new system does not work properly, the health centre can use the old manual system as a backup until appropriate changes are made. Disadvantage As we know parallel system is the most costly changeover method as both old and new systems operate fully for specified period and we also know that the budget of health centre is also low so it will be difficult for health centre to follow this changeover process. > Pilot operation: The pilot changeover method involves implementing the complete new system at a selected location of a company. Direct cutover method and operating both systems for only the pilot site. The group that uses the new system first is called the pilot site. By restricting the implementation to a pilot site reduces the risk of system failure as compared with is less expensive than a parallel system. Advantages Pilot operation is combination of both direct cutover and parallel operation, which restricts the implementation to a pilot site and reduces risk of system failure as compared with a direct cutover method. Operating system only at pilot site is less expensive than parallel operation for entire health centre and all health centers. If we use parallel approach to complete the implementation then the changeover period can be much shorter if system proves successful at the pilot site so a lot of time will be consumed at health centre in implementing the new system. Disadvantage This method is also costly as compared to the direct cutover. > Phased operation: The phased operation changeover method involves implementing the new system in stages, or modules. We can implement each subsystem by using any of the other three changeover methods. In this approach risk of errors or failures is limited to the implemented module only as well as it is less expensive than the full parallel operation. For implementing child health information system we can use above methods but there are some advantages as well disadvantages of using these systems, which are explained below: Advantages As we know in this method we have to implement the new system in stages, or modules, which is less prone to risk of system failure or errors at health centers, as failure is limited to the implemented module only. It is also less expensive than parallel system because we have to work only with one part of system at a time. Disadvantage As the system, which we are implementing, involves various phased operation like treatment, measuring weight, registration, vaccination etc so it can cost more than the pilot approach. Recommendation As we can determine from above information that pilot approach is the best approach where we can see the combination of less risks as well as less implementation cost because. There are many health centers so we can implement the new system only at any one of the health centers to check whether it is working appropriately or not. And this method is also cheaper than all other metho

The Book Flush Summary :: essays research papers

Flush This takes place in the Florida Keys up to Miami. It is placed in modern day time. This story happens in the summer. This book is about a family whose dad is a tour guild. He used to work with a man name Dusty Muleman. He said that one day he was going to form a new business. He owned a casino boat that was parked in Indian Territory. He made a deal with the Indians that he could gamble on their waters and pay them a part of the profit. Since his ship the Coral Queen never left the dock passengers did not get see sick and continued to gamble and spend money. In order to save money he dumps his waste from the holding tanks into the ocean at night when nobody is looking. Noah’s dad a person who stands up for the environment sinks his boat and is put in jail. Noah and his sister decide to try and find a way to stop him. They talk to their dad and he tells them that he worked with a man called Lice Pecking. He says the he also worked on the boat and he could testify on the fact that Dusty really did dump his waste into the ocean. It turns out he is kidnapped and is unable to testify. They meet his wife Shelly. She tells them that she will help them stop Dusty’s Casino scam. She tells him that she wants to work as a bartender in Dusty’s Boat. She tells them that one night she stays late and sees Dusty dumping the waste from the ship. A few days later he goes to a small pond and sees a park ranger putting up signs that say the water in the pond is contaminated from human waste. Since there are many boats docked in the harbors its impossible to see what boat the waste is actually coming from. They then get the idea to color the waste with a very bright dye and allow after us seeps out the trail of brightly colored water will be tracked back to dusty’s boat. They then go into a food store and purchase 35 bottles of Fuchsia dye. They then tell Shelly their plan. They tell her that Noah will hide in a box full of rum and wait till it is picked up and placed on the ship he then will go into a restroom and Shelly will tack on an out of order sign.