Ethical Theories :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Ethical Theories Hedonism and self-realization are ethical theories that take roots in the works of Greek philosophers and that developed many branches throughout the human history. Hedonism is based on the recognition of pleasure (or happiness) and avoidance of pain as an ultimate goal of any human being and thus establish a moral ground for one’s acting in striving to be happy. In early stages, hedonism took individualistic forms of Cyrenaic and Epicurean theories. In order to lead a good life, the Cyrenaics propose to actively seek intense momentary pleasure (of any duration) from our everyday life maintaining that pleasures of our senses and the body are preferable to pleasures derived from the mind. In contrast to Cyrenaics, the Epicurean theory denies active seeking of pleasure in favor of avoidance of pain (in fact, Epicurean view defines pleasure as avoidance of pain) and stresses the importance of long-run mental contentment in life. While Cyrenaics and Epicureans sought pleasure only for themselves exercising individualistic hedonism, Stuart Mill’s theory is an example of universalistic hedonism which takes into account not only the pleasure people can gain for themselves but also how those pleasure-seeking actions affect other individuals and society in general and whose ultimate goal is to increase the amount of happiness for humankind as a whole. Specifically, Stuart Mill adhered to the theory of utilitarianism (a social hedonism) that states that moral actions are right if they produce â€Å"the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of persons.† The significance of his work is in introduction of the qualitative aspect of pleasure into utilitarianism. According to Mill, there are different kinds of pleasure and the more desirable of any two kinds is the one that is agreed to be more valuable or desirable for the majority of people who experienced both. The intellectual pleasure d erived from art, music, etc. is considered to be higher than physical pleasure derived from sex, eating, etc. Based on the classification of different kinds of pleasure performed by experts the moral values of the society can be developed and then followed by everyone. To avoid immoral actions that can be justified as means of maximizing happiness, Mill adheres to rule-utilitarian view which states that an action is right if it is based on a rule that maximizes happiness of the affected population as opposed to act-utilitarianism that evaluates the action itself. For example, a rule of helping others maximizes happiness in general so we should follow this rule. Ethical Theories :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays Ethical Theories Hedonism and self-realization are ethical theories that take roots in the works of Greek philosophers and that developed many branches throughout the human history. Hedonism is based on the recognition of pleasure (or happiness) and avoidance of pain as an ultimate goal of any human being and thus establish a moral ground for one’s acting in striving to be happy. In early stages, hedonism took individualistic forms of Cyrenaic and Epicurean theories. In order to lead a good life, the Cyrenaics propose to actively seek intense momentary pleasure (of any duration) from our everyday life maintaining that pleasures of our senses and the body are preferable to pleasures derived from the mind. In contrast to Cyrenaics, the Epicurean theory denies active seeking of pleasure in favor of avoidance of pain (in fact, Epicurean view defines pleasure as avoidance of pain) and stresses the importance of long-run mental contentment in life. While Cyrenaics and Epicureans sought pleasure only for themselves exercising individualistic hedonism, Stuart Mill’s theory is an example of universalistic hedonism which takes into account not only the pleasure people can gain for themselves but also how those pleasure-seeking actions affect other individuals and society in general and whose ultimate goal is to increase the amount of happiness for humankind as a whole. Specifically, Stuart Mill adhered to the theory of utilitarianism (a social hedonism) that states that moral actions are right if they produce â€Å"the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of persons.† The significance of his work is in introduction of the qualitative aspect of pleasure into utilitarianism. According to Mill, there are different kinds of pleasure and the more desirable of any two kinds is the one that is agreed to be more valuable or desirable for the majority of people who experienced both. The intellectual pleasure d erived from art, music, etc. is considered to be higher than physical pleasure derived from sex, eating, etc. Based on the classification of different kinds of pleasure performed by experts the moral values of the society can be developed and then followed by everyone. To avoid immoral actions that can be justified as means of maximizing happiness, Mill adheres to rule-utilitarian view which states that an action is right if it is based on a rule that maximizes happiness of the affected population as opposed to act-utilitarianism that evaluates the action itself. For example, a rule of helping others maximizes happiness in general so we should follow this rule.

From Man to Boy

Lemons. The author makes his first stand at the very opening of the work with this hard peeled, soft-fleshed visual. The sour fruit, which is cut into by the narrator at the beginning of John R. Coleman’s, essay From Man to Boy, stands as a metaphor for the life circumstances in which he continues to find himself and others. The choice allows for a much shorter opening to the essay by utilizing the well-known allegory of the lemon as an acerbic, broken object or happenstance from which the owner has no means of escape. In the beginning lines Coleman produces the appearance of a setting in which the weight of an entire world the reader does not have to see to believe in, is resting on the shoulders of the narrator. He does this by coupling the lemon with a position of employment that is both low on the wage scale, and limited in skill requirements. Even the waitress, a position most readers will equate with being lesser in station, looks down on the work, therefore the worth, of the narrator. This immediately sets up the main character as a victim of his surroundings and appeals to the reader for compassionate understanding and perhaps even pity. This appeal is sustained by the dialogue between the co-workers when Dana tells Jack â€Å"It’s no use†(LaRocco, 128) trying to change the attitude and belief of the waitress who called him a boy. The writer tells the audience, in the same paragraph, that Dana was working this job even as he, the narrator, was reading the billboards’ insidious warnings. In doing so, the narrator is offering up tangible evidence for the argument of an irredeemable quality of ignorance in the world. The argument of ignorance is juxtaposed against the theme of education. The billboards, a metaphor for society’s spoken standards versus their actual behaviors,  promise the worthy and dedicated student a life free of discrimination, bias, and general condemnation. What the writer declares to be the truth of the matter however, is that reality falls far short of the pledge. Life is a lemon. Education does not prevent the action from happening; the waitress still calls him a boy. What education provided him with was a means to recognize the insult and therefore be injured by it. This injury is noted in the sad look on Dana’s face. The exposure of the treatment of the housekeepers by the students at the college serves to call further attention to the wide spread plight of the working class. At the same time, it presents an argument that educated people are as likely to fall into the pattern of abuse, yet more likely to change their behavior once it is questioned. The narrator seems to convince the students to cease the use of the term â€Å"wombats (128),† however he also makes clear that it does not erase the ramifications of the actions for those who were abused by them. Naming them as â€Å"the cleaning women (129)† continues a convention from the beginning that says much about society by not saying anything at all. Coleman maintains Dana and himself as the only individuals worthy of names, therefore individual identities, in the short piece. Doing this preserves the notion of a singular hero with only nominal support attacking the great beast of society without actually coming forward and declaring himself a hero. Rather than failing to define himself as the hero of the episode, Coleman comes closer to refusing it. This leaves him on the same playing field as his audience, which acts in tandem with his stylistic choices in the text. By using the quick, almost darting  motions of his statements, and the clipped pacing of short paragraphs and a barely over one page essay, he keeps the reader not only involved but in step with the narrative voice. In order to make points with the intended audience of blue collar working class America, Coleman does all he can to avoid triggering the alienation he is so adamantly set out to battle. Simplicity is the key to the peace. Coleman gets in, makes his point in clear, concise terms, and gets out. This appeal to the working class reader for whom this particular piece is written is continued with a lack of satire in the essay. The simple vocabulary, short sentence construction, and lack of word play beyond the lemon all feed into the assembly of a connection between the writer and blue collar America. He never feels the need to address the existence of those high paying white collar positions directly, while they are inferred by the PhD, the collegiate tack of the students, and the billboards with their empty promises. Reference to the Quaker tradition further exposes the intention of the author to connect with a wholesome and righteous way of life. This is the assumed role many hard working laborers aspire to. The association of Godliness with the Quaker traditions works on another metaphorical level with the housekeepers when the saying is considered; Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Throughout the entire essay, Coleman does his best to solidify his roots in this working class in order to achieve a single goal. The final remark returns to the scene of the first crime in the work, a seemingly flippant remark about being a boy who cuts lemons. By returning to this line the narrator takes a stand for all of the young men who  have had to defend their honor as men simply because they were not making money in the right tax bracket. Coleman combines this with an appeal to the student from working class family to be aware of the results of their choices in treating others before the damage is done. Overall, he produces a very effective essay that is driven on the backs of metaphors and unspoken pieces of the puzzle, which are alluded to behind sweeping statements designed to stir the primal instinct of honor and self preservation in the face of societal imposed duress. Work Cited LaRocco, C (Ed.). (1995). The Art Of Work : An Anthology of Workplace Literature. McGraw- Hill.

Cendant Corporation

Cendant Corporation [1] (a) Related parties make decisions based on information provided through financial statements. It is the auditor’s responsibility to plan and perform audit engagement to offer reasonable assurance that the financial statements are correct and fair. (b) The two main categories of fraud that affect financial reporting include misstatements arising from fraudulent financial reporting and misstatements arising from misappropriation of assets. c) Factors that auditor’s should consider when assessing the likelihood of material misstatements due to fraud include: whether or not the company has a reason to make something seem consistent (rationalization), whether or not the company or individuals have an incentive or pressure on them, and whether or not the company has the opportunity to commit fraud. (d) Many factors existed during the 1995 to 1997 audits of CUC that created an environment conductive for fraud. For example, CUC’s top management w as aggressive to increase their market share due to the pressure put on them to meet analyst expectations.CUC had been committing the same type of fraud for many years before 1995, so it was rational for them to maintain their consistency. One person even stated that he thought he was only doing his job. The adjustments that were made at the end of each year brought about the opportunity for CUC to also commit fraud. [3] (a) In the Cendant fraud management override occurred when the CUC management recognized deferred revenue as revenue immediately, or delaying recognition of membership cancelations. (b) To further address the risk of management override of internal controls auditors must remain skeptical that management override exists.Auditors should also become familiar with the company and it’s internal controls upon acceptance. [5] (a) A company may want to hire a member of its external audit team because the auditor is familiar with the company, or management has develop ed a strong working relationship with the auditor from working on the audit together. (b) If the client has hired former auditors it might affect the independence of the existing external auditors in fact and appearance. Current auditors may rely on the representation made by former co-workers.

About Jhumpa Lahiri

About Jhumpa Lahiri, Jhumpa Lahiri is an Indian- American author. She was born on 11 July 1967 in London and is daughter of Indian immigrants from Bengal. She grew up in Kingston, Rhode island. She graduated from South Kingstown High school and later achieved multiple degrees in Boston university. In 2001, She married Alberto vourvoulias –Bush, A journalist who was then a deputy editor of â€Å"The Times†. Interpreter of maladies Lahiri’s short stories faced rejection from publishers for years.But, Finally in 1999, Her first short story composition was released. The short stories address sensitive dilemmas in the lives of Indians. Including themes such as miscarriages and martial difficulties. Also, the disconnection between first and second generation United States immigrants. It was highly praised by American critics and sold 600,000 copies. Also, it received the 2000 Pulitzer price for Fiction The namesake â€Å"The Namesake† was Lahiri’s first n ovel and was published in 2003. The story spans over thirty years in the Ganguli family.The Calcutta born parents emigrated as young adults to The United States Of America with their children Gongol and Sonia where they experienced the constant generational and cultural gap. Lahiri made herself as a cameo â€Å"Aunt Jhumpa†. Unaccustomed earth â€Å"Unaccustomed Earth, Her second collection of novels was published on 1 April, 2008. It went to the number 1 spot just few days after it’s release on the New York best-seller list. It was praised a lot by all critics and masses and sold thousands and thousands of copies.Achievements and awards * 1993 – TransAtlantic Award from the Henfield Foundation * 1999 –  O. Henry Award  for short story â€Å"Interpreter of Maladies† * 1999 –  PEN/Hemingway Award  (Best Fiction Debut of the Year) for â€Å"Interpreter of Maladies† * 1999 – â€Å"Interpreter of Maladies† selected as one of  Best American Short Stories * 2000 – Addison Metcalf Award from the  American Academy of Arts and Letters * 2000 – â€Å"The Third and Final Continent† selected as one of  Best American Short Stories 2000 –  The New Yorker's Best Debut of the Year for â€Å"Interpreter of Maladies† * 2000 –  Pulitzer Prize for Fiction  for her debut â€Å"Interpreter of Maladies† * 2000 –  James Beard Foundation's M. F. K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award for â€Å"Indian Takeout† in  Food & Wine Magazine * 2002 –  Guggenheim Fellowship * 2002 – â€Å"Nobody's Business† selected as one of  Best American Short Stories * 2008 –  Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award  for â€Å"Unaccustomed Earth† * 2009 –  Asian American Literary Award  for â€Å"Unaccustomed Earth†

Costcos Business Model Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Costcos Business Model - Research Paper Example Costco gains revenue not only from individual membership, but also households, and companies. This membership revenue pool is fixed for the year and in 2008 generated $1.5 billion. The main part of the business is literally to please the customer by having the best price. Everything else is based on that concept. Customer's have the ultimate say in what will be bought and sold. Costco doesnt want to have inventory that the customer has no desire for and thus inventory that will be slow moving. Thus Costco watches for specific characteristics of inventory which they will purchase and efficiently deliver to the customer at a price below its competitors. Another part of Costco's business model is the fact that Costco owns 80% of its retail operation stores. This investment in real estate allows Costco to avoid paying lease costs thus cutting down on operating costs. This cost reduction can further allow Costco to concentrate on having a low price, high volume merchandise business model. Also the membership fees can be allocated to purchasing buildings within a year or two since to access the savings the customers provide revenue outright. This can save Costco on long term debt if managed properly. Yes its a good model because due to their memberships customers are more likely to buy directly from them and with a certain level of guaranteed revenue, prices can be low with the assumption that volume will be high. Volume is never guaranteed but Costco can operate on this assumption because it is more than likely that the customer will do daily shopping for groceries in the case of the individual, and household while more than likely that businesses will purchase supplies through Costco in order to purchase office supplies. The only issue with the model is that when customers purchase in bulk, it is likely that the need for the product will be low for a considerable amount of time. If an individual purchases 5-10 boxes of energy efficient light bulbs, that customer is unlikely to come back for more light bulbs for a long time and the same can be said of companies and households. On the other hand it could be likely that the customer purchasing in bulk could be selling each bulb. 2. What are the chief elements of Costco’s strategy? How good is the strategy? â€Å"Low prices, a limited product line and limited selection, and a â€Å"treasure hunt† shopping environment†, are a few of the chief elements of Costco's strategy. They accomplish this by having rapid inventory turnover, less handling, efficient distribution, operating efficiency and â€Å"offering members very low prices on a limited selection of nationally branded and select private-label products in a wide range of merchandise categories.† Costco also only kept the best bargains on the shelves with little advertising and deciding on a growth strategy focusing on opening more warehouses and developing a loyal customer base. This is good strategy all around for a variety of reasons. Here is a breakdown of some of the major efficiencies Costco obtained: Due to the fact that they are able to receive cash before the payable is due, Costco didn't have to worry about carrying extra capital throughout the year in order to meet vendor payments. Therefore Costco was able to take advantage of discounts while obtaining direct financing from the vendor's. By doing this Costco was able to pass on part of the savings to customers and obviously retain some of the savings as profit. The way that Costco was able to provide such low prices to its member was that it only sought a 14 percent margin on national brands as opposed to the 20-50% that most other discount

Palliative Care for Urinary Tract Infections in Elderly Patients Essay

Palliative Care for Urinary Tract Infections in Elderly Patients - Essay Example By an extension, the principles of a model of medical reflection also provide a cyclical model which will enable me to reflect upon this problem and subsequently examine my nursing practice as a founding point for further development and improvement in the nursing profession. Description In this paper I will be reflecting on an experience with a patient who was suffering from urinary tract infection, dehydration and dementia, whom I encountered during my community placement. This patient was suffering from Urinary tract infection and dehydration and had been transferred to the ward from Emergency Medical Unit (EMU). The patient was also suffering from dementia and during the handover it was mentioned that she could be both verbally and physically aggressive. It was also handed over that she had intravenous (IV) fluids prescribed and needed a cannula insertion as she had removed the one previously in place. This involved a patient who will be referred to as Mrs P, in order to maintain confidentiality and anonymity (NMC 2008). Mrs P was an elderly 79-year old woman who was suffering from dehydration and urinary tract infection. Mrs P had also been diagnosed with dementia, and was reported as being aggressive both physically and verbally. Feelings Initially when we opted to insert the cannula into the patient initially she agreed to our intentions only to turn aggressive and unmanageable, later my mentor advised the matron to insert the cannula, which she did though without the patient’s consent, as the patient shouted and almost made the whole process impossible. I was disturbed by these two related events, first, the patient’s aggressiveness and two, our forceful way to inserting the cannula into the patient. Thus these situations brought in me a need to find out more about the patient and their condition, and the consequences of the matron’s decision. When I met the patient I felt sympathetic towards her and her insistence to refusing the c annula insertion given her general condition. A mixture of thoughts crossed my mind, although I could understand why she did not want to undergo the process, but this thought was not conclusive for me as a medical student. On reflection it seemed a positive experience as it allowed me to see how people cope differently with medical conditions, and the impact it has on the patient and the entire therapeutic process. Evaluation During this experience I thought that the nursing team had built a good professional relationship with the patient and therapeutic process. The patient had plenty of time to discuss any concerns or issues that she had and any of her reasons for refusal the cannula insertion. In my mind, I had theorized that the issues that had been discussed or ought to be discussed included issues such as symptom management; how the patient is feeling is important and needs to be taken into consideration. This would also need to be discussed with her partner alone, to find out how she is feeling and to find the best medical alternative for her treatment. This is why the Visual Analogue Scale could have been helpful for monitoring the progression of the patient’s condition (Crichton 2001). Since I have used the tool before, I find it to be beneficial for effective monitoring of patient’s condition because it was a good indicator as to when we would need to adjust her analgesia using the World Health Organization (WHO)Â  analgesic ladder (WHO, 2005).

Law and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law and Ethics - Essay Example This leads to prevalence in property crime in poverty stricken areas. Generally, children who are brought up in poverty have a high propensity to commit crime which is further accelerated by population factors (Siegel & Worrall, 2011). A child from a poor background is more likely to involve in criminal activities than one from a well off background. In addition, populations that are majorly composed of young generation below 25 years and jobless at the same time, results in higher crime rates than a scenario old poor generation people. Moreover, the poor face more frustrations in life and are therefore more predisposed to mental illnesses than the rich and the affluent (Siegel & Worrall, 2011). The mental stresses and instabilities may lead individuals to commit violent acts, robbery and theft. At the same time, poverty causes the youth to view education with less prestige since they feel it does not warrant access to good jobs. Most poor youths do not have a connection with mentors and role models due to perceived or actual inferior education. The feeling will facilitate their forming groups and gangs which are a leeway to crime. Homicide Before making a decision on the fate of the woman, I would solicit to know the reason for her conduct towards her husband given that she knew that the husband was drunk. The husband is considered as not being of a stable mental state in his drunkenness (Siegel & Worrall, 2011). I would also establish the woman’s true intent for loading the gun as well as how long the argument had taken to warrant application of self defense. Based on the already stated actions, I feel the woman had an aforethought to kill the husband, that is why she went up the first floor and loaded the gun. She did not show any interest to withdraw from the fight. On coming back with the loaded gun, she found her husband holding a kitchen knife. However, she is not clear on the reaction of the husband when he saw her with a gun. Her argument that h er husband wanted to stub her is a hoax, she had a criminal intent to kill even before she saw the knife. As the prosecutor I would charge the woman with a first degree criminal homicide/murder. This is because the murder had been premeditated, was deliberate and was accompanied with malice on the woman’s side. This is further strengthened by her insistence that she was only defending herself from harm by the drunken husband. Although the woman claimed to have been provoked into action by the husband, there is no evidence that she did not have tie to cool off. The Ethics the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) using Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) Forcing arrestees to provide DNA samples irrespective of the charges that have been placed on them and the possibility of conviction is unethical. This is so because the results empower the police officers to provide intimate results and evidences to the government; these have the ability to lead to investigative arrests (Siegel & Worrall, 2011). This phenomenon is opposed to the desired procedures where the juries and judges ought to be the custodians of such information. Although DNA sequencing produces reliable results, it presents ethical, legal and social shortcomings. It has raised questions on privacy matters (Siegel & Worrall, 2011). Unlike fingerprints that are used for identification only, DNA provides insight into several intimate and personal aspects of individuals such as susceptibility to some diseases, predisposed to