Business strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business strategy - Essay Example Globalisation has led to the creation of a situation where firms are desperately trying to generate a distinction for their products and services. The present study would analyse the business strategies of Google in the wake of the turbulence in the markets. The internet search engine industry has an oligopolistic market structure with only three major players namely Google, Yahoo and Microsoft having a majority market stake (Fabos, 2005, p.189-192). The value of this attractive industry segment has been pegged at 16.6 billion US dollars as of 2010 in the North American market alone (SEMPO, 2010, p.1) Task 1 Strategic formulation Vision Corporate vision statement largely displays the direction of a company that it seeks to intent for achieving its set of objectives. The vision statement largely defines the possible future strategies of the organization. A good vision statement not only helps shareholders and customers but also seeks to induce a motivating effect on the employees of t he organization (Fitzroy & Herbert, 2009, p.157). Google’s vision statement is reflected as a ten point strategic framework named as ten things. The ten point vision framework largely includes ensuring simplicity, innovation and ethics (Google-a, n.d.). Core competencies The core competency of Google is based on the aspect of the simplistic yet innovative nature of the product offering of the organization. Google core competencies lie in its ability to produce diverse product with large scale innovations that delights the users by the simple yet effective performance. The core competence of Google also comes from its unique search engine algorithm that has made it the most popular search engine of the web (Sugano, Goncalves & Figueira, 2009, p.57). Mission Statement The mission statement is a single and short statement that describes the purpose of existence of an organization (Kaplan, Norton & Barrows, 2008, p.3-4). The mission statement of Google is stated as follows: †Å"Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful† (Google, n.d.). Stakeholder Analysis Google is a public company which has its shares listed on the bourses of the NASDAQ stock exchange. The stakeholders of Google include suppliers, government, trade associations, employees as well as the employee unions. The company aims to ensure the continuous welfare of the shareholders and ensures a good return on their investments (Morrow, 2008). Environmental and Organizational Audit PESTEL PESTEL is a tool that can be used to analyse the external environment of an organization. PESTEL is an acronym that stands for Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2008, p.65). Political Political factors largely include government polices and legislations. Google is based in USA but it also has operations and business units spread around the globe. Google is being continuously affected by legislations related to censorship of its contents and

Porous Multishell Hollow Cu2O Microspheres Experiment

Porous Multishell Hollow Cu2O Microspheres Experiment Preparation of Porous MultishellHollow Cu2O Microspheres and their catalytic activity in photodegradation of Rhodamine-B Lingling Sun, Deyan Han*, Ruirui Haoà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’Guohong Wang* Abstract In this study, Porous Multishell Hollow Cu2O Microspheres were fabricated by One-Pot solvothermal method of copper(II) with glutamic acid under 160à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The as-prepared monodisperse Cu2O hollow microspheres were characterized by Xà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), photoluminescence (PL), and thermogravimetryà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­differential thermal analysis (TGà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­DTA). The formation of hydroxyl radicals ( ·OH) on the surface of UVà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­illuminated Cu2O is probed by photoluminescence using terqaephthalic acid as a probe molecule. The photocatalytic activity of monodisperse Cu2O hollow microspheres have been tested by degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and PL spectral changes of terephthalic acid under UV light. The results showed that the optimum add of glutamic acid is 0.05g and reaction time was 24h, respectively. Introduction Transition metal oxides with different nanostructures have drawn much attention in recent years because of their fascinating applications in optoelectronics and outstanding structureal flexibility combined with unique properties with potential applications.[10à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 17à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 19] So the transition metals oxides are an important class semiconductors. Among these transition metal oxides, Cuprous oxide ( Cu2O ) is a pà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­type semiconductor material with a narrow band gap (2 eV) and a large excition binding energy of 140 meV, it is non-toxic, inexpensive and abundand that widely used in photocatalysis, gas sensors, lithiumà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­ion batteries, electronics, solar energy conversion, magnetic storage, and so on. To date, different Cu2O nanostructures use capping agent or surface active agent have been synthesis, such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were widely used to synthesize Cu2O nano wires, Cu2O nanotubes, Cu2O nanothreads, Cu2O nanocubes, flowerà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­like Cu2O, urchin-like Cu2O, hollow Cu2O spheres. Hollow spheres have attracted great interest because of their special properties including low density, high surface area, good surface permeability and distinct optical properties. [15] Wang’s group add of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide developed a facile room temperature solution route for synthesis of doubleà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­wall Cu2O hollow spheres. Zeng et al. [9] reported the preparation of hollow Cu2O nanospheres from a reductive conversion of aggregated CuO nanocrystallites and the formation of CuO microspheres by a twoà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­tiered organizing scheme. However, the poor conductivity limite Cu2O further application. In the present work, Porous Multishell Hollow Cu2O Microspheres have been synthesized using oneà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­pot solvothermal method of copper nitrate with glutamic acid under 160à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ after different hydrothermal time. Morphological, structural and optical properties and thermal behavior of the products have been identified using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Xà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformer infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-visibleà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­NIR spectroscopy and thermogravimetryà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­differential thermal analysis (TGà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­DTA) and photoluminescence (PL). The other aim of present work is the investigation of the photocatalytic degradation of RhB under UVà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­light radiation at ambient temperature and using of Cu2O nanopowders synthesisd with different hydrothermal time. The porous Multishell Hollow Cu2O Microspheres exhibit a high photocatalytic activity due to the fact that Cu2O Microspheres have a high specific surface area and a larger band gap. Experimental 2.1 Synthesis of Hollow Cu2O Microspheres Analytical grade copper nitrate (Cu(NO3)2 †¢3H2O, purity: 99.5%), Là ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­ glutamic acid, and Rhodamineà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­B (C28H31ClN2O3, purity: 99.5%) were purchased from SigmaAldrich and were used without further purification. Deionized water was used for all synthesis and posttreatment processes. In a typical synthesis, 0.645 g Cu(NO3)2 †¢3H2O and 0.05g glutamic acid were dissolved in 75 ml absolute ethanol stirred until Cu(NO3)2 †¢3H2O was completely dissolved to form a navyà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­biue solution. After filtered with the filter paper, the filtrate was then transferred into a stainless steel autoclave with a Teflon liner of 100 ml capacity and heated at 160 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for different time. After cooling at room temperature, the product was centrifuged, washed with deionized water and absolute ethanol several times and dried in an oven at 60 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 12 h. 2.2 Characterization Xà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­ray diffraction (XRD) was used to identify product phases and cprresponding crystallite size. XRD patterns were obtained using a D8 Xà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­ray diffractometer (Bruker AXS, German) with CuKÃŽ ±1 radiation (ÃŽ » = 1.5406 Ã…). The accelerating voltage, emission current, and scanning speed were 40 kV, 49 mA and 0.02à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¯/s, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed with a S3400 SEM (Rili, Japan) at an accelerating voltage of 15 kV. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis was conducted using a Tecnai G20 microscope at an accelerating voltage of 200 kV. The Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) of the samples were recorded on a Nicolet Forier 5700 spectrometer in the range of 400-4000 cm-1 using conventional KBr pellets. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the samples were measured at room temperature with a Hiachi FLà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­4500 fluorescence spectrophotometer, with an excitation wavelength of 315 nm, the scanning spee d is 1200 nm/min, and a PMT voltage of 700 V. The width of the excitation slit and emission slit was 5 nm. For thermal analysis, 10 mg of the dried Cu2O powders was used in TGà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­DTA thermal analyzer (Pyris Diamond TG/DTA) at a heating rate of 10à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¯C/min from 20 to 800 à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ¯C in an inert gas atmosphere. 2.3 Photocatalytic performance Photocatalytic activity of the Hollow Cu2O Microspheres was evaluated by the degradation RhB aqueous solution under a 15 W ultraviolet lamp at room temperature (ca. 20 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™). In each experiment, 0.04 mg of the prepared powders were dispersed in 30 ml of RhB aqueous solution with a concentrstion of 1.0Ãâ€"10-5 M in a rectangle cell (52W Ãâ€" 155L Ãâ€" 30H mm), and the solution was placed in the dark for 30min before illumination to ensure the establishment of an adsorption-desorption equilibrium between the photocatalyst powders and RhB. Then the solution was irradiated with a 30 mW/cm2 UV light (ÃŽ »=365 nm), and during irradiation about 3 ml of the suspension was taken from the mixture at regular intervals (20 min) and centrifuged to separate the photocatalyst particles. To determine the degree of degradation the supernatants was analyzed by a UVà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­vis spectrophotometer (Uà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­3010) to measure the concentration of RhB which exhibits characteristi c absorption at 554 nm [11] 2.4 Analysis of hydroxyl radical ( ·OH) The formation rates of hydroxyl radicals ( ·OH) on the surface of the UVà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­illuminated Cu2O were performed by a photoluminescence (PL) method using terephthalic acid as a probe molecule method as follows. 0.04 g of Cu2O powder sample was dispersed in a 30 ml of 5 Ãâ€" 10-4 M terephthalic acid aqueous solution with a concentration of 2 Ãâ€" 10-3 M NaOH in a dish with a diameter of about 9.0 cm. The experiment was carried out under UV irradiation using a 15 W ultraviolet lamp (25 cm above the dishes). The average light intensity striking on the surface of the reaction solution was about 30 mW cm-2, as measured by a UV radiometer with the peak intensity of 365 nm. PL spectra of generated luminescent 2à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­hydroxyterephtalic acid (TAOH) were measured on a Hiachi FLà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­4500 fluorescence spectrophotometer. After UV irradiation for every 15 min, the reaction solution was à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ltrated to measure the increase of the PL intensity at 390 nm of TAOH ex cited by 315 nm light. Results and Discussion 3.1 XRD analysis The crystalline structures of the as-prepared samples were examined by Xà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­ray diffraction. Fig. 1 shows the XRD patterns of the asà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­prepared samples synthesized with different amounts of glutamic acid. The results illustrate that with increase glutamic acid from 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 0.05 to 0.06 g all the samples appear the sphere Cu2O[JCPDS No, 01à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­1142]. For the samples prepared with the amount of glutamic acid below 0.05 g, the intermediate product copper hydroxynitrate is dominant, but there is a amount of sphere Cu2O found in it. The peak at 2ÃŽ ¸ = 12.8 ° corresponds to the (011) plane diffraction of the copper hydroxynitrate [JCPDS No, 03-0061], with the amount of glutamic acid increase the diffraction peak of copper hydroxynitrate become weaker to disappears and the sphere Cu2O peaks intensities steadily become stronger, implying that glutamic acid acted as a reducing agent in the reaction process. To investigate the growth process of porous multishell hollow Cu2O microspheres, time-dependent experiments were studied by hydrothermal reaction. Fig. 2 shows that the products obtained at 160 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ with 0.05 g glutamic acid for 2 h are 5à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  ÃŽ ¼m hollow microspheres were wellà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­crystallize but still the intermediate product copper hydroà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­xynitrate. With increase reaction time to 24 h, the intermediate product copper hydroxynitrate complete transformed into cubic symmetry Cu2O, no obvious diffraction peaks of impurities were observed, indicating the high purity of the synthesized products. Also the intense and sharp diffraction peaks indicate that well crystallized Cu2O nanocrystalss can be obtained under reaction time is 24 h. But further prolongation of reaction time to 48 h resulted in the intensities of the diffraction pesks of Cu2O are not increase significantly. It can be founded that with increase in reaction time the intensity o f diffraction peaks increased, indicating the improvement in the crystallinity. [8] The diffraction peaks becomes narrower as the reaction time increased, indicating the increase in the crystallite size. 3.2 FTIR Studies. Fig. 4 showed the FTIR spectra of the Cu2O samples synthesized with additi0on of different amount of glutamic acid in the region of 400à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­4000 cm-1, which are relate to IR-active fundamental vibrations of Cu2O itself and vibrations associated with surface adsorbates. The intense vibrational bands at 3000-3600 cm-1 were attributed to Oà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­H stretching vibrations and at ~1635 cm-1 corresponded to Hà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­Oà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­H bending vibration all of surface adsorbed H2O. [30] The bands at 3000-3600 cm-1 was split into two components centered at ~3184 and ~3403 cm-1, corresponding to chemically adsorbed water complexes and physically adsorbed H2O, respectively . Besides, the IR band ~1346 cm-1 and ~1652 cm-1 are assigned to the surface monodentate carbonate-like (CO3) and bicarbonate species (HCO3) vibrational modes that because of adsorbed CO2 from the atmosphere. A metal oxide generally gives absorption bands below ~1000 cm-1 that arises from stretching vibration mode of Mà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­O bond. So the IR-active fundamental vibrations of Cu2O nanocrystals appear in 400à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­1000 cm-1, the band at 456 cm-1 and 633 cm-1 are attributed to the stretching vibrations of Cu1+à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­O bond confirm the formation of Cu2O phase. 3.3 SEM and TEM images. 3.4 Mechanism for the formation of porous multishell hollow Cu2O microspheres The formation of porous multishell hollow Cu2O microspheres can be explained by a self-transformation process of the metastable aggregated particles accompanied by the Ostwald ripening [11à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 31].Similar mechanisms have been involved in the preparation of Cu2O, TiO2 and CdMoO4 hollow spheres [31]. The formation of mechanism of porous multishell hollow Cu2O microspheres in this work is proposed as illustrated as illustrated in Fig. During the Ostwald ripening process in order to reduce the higher surface energy, the crystallites at the central relocate themselves to the shell that formed the hollow structures. [14] Initially in the synthesis process, under the 160 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ hydrothermalconditions the uniform distribution of Cu2+ ions combine with glutamic acid to form Cu2(OH)3NO3 as intermediate hollow microsphereà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­template. The aggregated spherical particles have many voids in the surface, the reducing angent quickly though the channels in the intermedi ate hollow microsphereà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­template precipitate product in the internal surface of the shell form double shells. Also the internal microsphere sueface is loosely with many voids that not used up intermediate would grow third shells on the inner double shells and so on. At last form porous multishell hollow Cu2O microspheres. With the solvothermal time increase, glutamic acid contributed to the morphological evolution on the microstructure transformation and acted as a reducing agent the copper (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡) reduced to copper (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚  ), last cuprous oxide precipitated out because it have a low solubility in ethanol. 3.5 Photocatalytic Activity. The photocatalytic activities of the asà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­prepared porous multishell hollow Cu2O microspheres were ecaluated by photocatalytic degradation of RhB dye in aqueous solution under UVà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­light irradiation at room temperature. The RhB characteristic absorption at 554 nm was chosen to monitor the amount of RhB left during photocatalytic degradation process. Fig. 6 shows the UVà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­vis absorption spectrum of the RhB aqueous solution in the presence of (0.04 g) porous multishell hollow Cu2O microspheres under UVà ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ­light irradiation. For comparison, the photocatalytic activities of the Cu2O nanoparticles synthesized were all evaluated under the same conditions. It is observed that with time extended the absorption peaks of RhB diminish gradually, indicating the photocatalytic degradation of RhB. During the whole process there is no new absorption peak appear indicates the complete photodegradation of RhB. It can be seen that the samples of use 0.05g glutamic acid at solvothermally treated time increased from 2h to 48h, the degradation rate increase from 8.43% to 35.78%. Among them solvothermally treated 24h show the best performance, which show a 55.3% decrease of RhB after 40 min UV irradiation. Based on the above experimental results, this is not surprising because of the Cu2O band gap is 2.17 eV and it can be excited by photons with wavelengths below 349 nm (our light source is 365 nm UV light). [P2499] Also the unique porous multishell hollow structure which can be considered as an ideal transport way for reactant and product molecules moving in or out of the photocatalyst, making the chemical reactions occurring more quickly and easily. According to the present study nanoparticles size and crystalline nature play an important role in influence the photocatalytic activity.

Cloning :: essays research papers

The History of CloningThe theory of being able to make a genetic copy (a clone) of another animal has been around for quite a while. In this section as the title reads I will show the history of cloning.400 million years B. C.- Plants have been cloning themselves since not to long (as far as the Earth is concerned) after their introduction to our planet. They send out runners that create an identical copy of the parent plant. 1938- Hans Spermann, of Germany, envisions what he calls the "fantastical experiment". He suggests taking the nucleus from a cell in the late-stage embryo and transplanting that nucleus into an egg.1952- Scientists Robert Briggs and T.J. King use a pipette to suck the nucleus from the cell of an advanced frog embryo, they then add it to a frog egg. The egg didn't develop.1970- John Gurdon tries the same experiment with the same procedure. The eggs developed into tadpoles but died after they were ready to begin feeding. He later showed that transplanted nuclei revert to an embryonic state.1973- Ian Wilmut just finishes his doctorate at Cambridge University when he produces the first calf born from a frozen embryo. Cows only give birth to five to ten calves in a lifetime. By taking frozen embryos produced by cows that provide the best meat or milk then transferring that to surrogate mother it allows cattle farmers increase the quality of their herd.Mid to late 1970's- Scientists cut down small forests publishing research papers arguing the ethics of cloning and if it can be done. While they do this other researches around the world are actually investigating if it can be done. 1981- Karl Illmensee and Peter Hoppe report that they clone normal mice and embryo cells. It is later found to be a fraud.1982- James McGrath and Davor Solter report that they can not repeat the mouse cloning experiment. They conclude that once mouse embryos reach the two cell stage they cannot be used for cloning. Others confirm their results.1993- Embryologists at George Washington University cloned human embryos: they took cell groups from 17 human embryos (defective ones that an infertility clinic was going to discard), all two to eight cells in size. They teased apart cells , grew each one in a lab dish and a few got to 32 cells- a size when they can be planted into a surrogate mother, although they weren't.

Building Effective Teams & Evaluation

Performance evaluation is needed in order to determine the effectiveness of the employee or the team member. Evaluations can also provide the management and shareholders the value of the employee and the amount and quality of contributions s/he gives to the team and the company. One of the traditional ways of measuring performance of an employee is through the personal assessment and observation of the employee’s immediate supervisor. Though this may be one good way of knowing how the employee is performing, it is not the most effective method.This measurement tool is only based from one viewpoint – the immediate superior’s. Though the supervisor may be known to be as objective as s/he can be, there is still no assurance that there is no touch of bias in evaluations of some employees or team members. A much better way in evaluating an employee’s performance at work is through the so-called 360 degree feedback. As defined in the article â€Å"360 degree fe edback [Performance Appraisal† (n. d. ), â€Å"[it] incorporates multiple perspectives by using feedback from a variety of sources. These sources include peers, subordinates, customers, self, and supervisor.† Feedback is essential in understanding how an individual performs his jobs. A constructive feedback is an effective tool to help an individual be aware of his/her strengths and areas for improvement. This can help the person enhance those skills where s/he is good at and improve or modify his ways to lessen the areas for improvement. A constructive feedback can help build a better individual and employee at the same time. If different feedbacks come from different sources as mentioned above, there will be a much better understanding of an individual’s performance in all aspects.This eliminates the possibility of missing out things that are not being observed by the supervisor if s/he is the only one providing feedback. It is common to everyone, no matter wha t nationality s/he belongs to, to be not so open and perform differently when the boss is around than when the boss is not present. Most people would show extra effort when they know that they are being observed by their superiors. However, they may act differently when they are not being observed by any manager. A 360 degree feedback can effectively show the real performance and ability of an individual.It also shows how the person is working with other people in the team which is something that a supervisor’s observation may not notice. All the positive and negative things in all aspect of the employee’s work performance can be identified, which makes this type of feedback more effective than the traditional one. In a global-based team, a 360 degree feedback is definitely helpful as the different qualities and skill sets can be effectively assessed by the manager. The employee’s tolerance to diversity, for example, can better be evaluated by his/her peers from other cultural background.The views and comments of other team members to an individual is important in this kind of team setup, especially when they are not located in a single geographical location and no physical observation can be done. In essence, a 360 degree feedback is indeed recommended to be used as a performance measurement tool for the team members, as well as for the managers. It is one of the most, if not the most, effective method in evaluating the overall performance of an employee or team member. Reference 360 degree feedback [Performance Appraisal]. (n. d. ). Retrieved August 1, 2006 from http://www. citehr. com/360-degree-feedback. php

12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose

The movie â€Å"Twelve Angry Men† by Reginald Rose is a drama that displays twelve jurors' in-depth reasoning to decide a unanimous decision on the defendant's sentence. There are many assets and liabilities of the group that play a role in their decision making. The jurors are all defined in terms of their personalities, backgrounds, prejudices and emotional tilts. This paper will argue that when pride, jealousy, frustration and prejudice all emerge we see irrational and rational decision making methods.The assets of group is shown when juror#8 starts a different approach to evidence by showing the knife that was thought to be rare. It starts the process of participation in problem solving by other jury members who may have made up their mind or were just feeling conformity pressure. Greater sum of individual's total information starts to helps jury make a better decision. Liabilities of a group are show when every one except juror# 8 raise their hand feeling conformity press ure. There is desire of individual shown by juror# 3 to dominate and win the argument rather than finding a best solution.Lack of interest is shown by juror# 7 to reason or spend time to solve problem. There are prejudice feelings shown by juror# 10 and 7, they think juror# 5 and 11 do not know much because of their backgrounds. Each group determines assets and liabilities of their group's problem solving. As long disagreement is not personal and is in interest of best solution it's healthy. Time required to solve a problem is uncertain, members might get impatient and solve problem without reasoning. Risk taking is either good or bad depending on how a group uses it.Each group has a different problem to solve and different personalities to work with which is why each group can use assets and liabilities positively and negatively. Throughout the film, Juror Ten is violently prejudiced against anyone who comes from a slum. â€Å"You can't believe a word they say,† he declares – take note that Juror Ten does not say â€Å"he,† meaning the defendant, but â€Å"they,† the group of slums as a whole. This proves that he cannot make a fair judgment about individual guilt.Juror Nine, the senior man with accumulated life experience, notices this and rebukes immediately saying â€Å"Since when is dishonesty a group characteristic? † The intolerance of Juror Ten continues before finally erupting in a long speech that leads the other jurors to reject him. The message is clear that such irrational prejudice is incompatible with justice. Juror Four also shows signs of such prejudice, though he couches it in more acceptable words: â€Å"The children who come out of slum backgrounds are potential menaces to society. When a person hears the word prejudice, he or she might think it only refers to the racial prejudice often found between those with light skin and those with dark skin. However, prejudice runs much deeper than a person's color. Prejudice is found between gender, religion, cultural and geographical background, and race. People have discriminated against others based upon these attributes from the beginning of time. Prejudice has become a complex problem in our society; for example, if someone were to walk in a secluded area at night and pass a group of senior citizens, he or she will, most likely, not feel threatened.However, if instead of senior citizens, three teenagers dressed in ripped jeans and t-shirts wearing metal chains around their necks passed the person is more likely to feel threatened. Prejudice is the sad truth of today’s society. Whether it’s from watching the local news or reading the newspaper, many people base stereotypes on the media or personal experiences. Although these are the most convenient ways to judge someone, they are also the worst. Whenever dealing with the media, events are dramatized and slowly build into the subconscious. The affects of prejudice then influen ce our decisions without us even realizing it.

Chiquita Company

Chiquita Company Introduction The case of Chiquita Brands International illustrates the ethical violations that can be committed by companies operating in developing countries. In many instances, these organizations do not follow any norms of the corporate social responsibility. Nevertheless, the failure to comply with these principles can significantly tarnish the reputation of these businesses.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Chiquita Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, it can eventually lead to considerable financial losses. One should keep in mind that the senior managers of this corporation have long tried to conceal some of the unethical practices adopted by this enterprise. Nevertheless, there have been several scandals that attracted public attention to this firm. For instance, one should consider such issues as dangerous environmental practices and even cooperation with military groups such as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. In turn, this paper is aimed at examining the violation of workers’ rights. In particular, much attention should be paid to the harsh working conditions in the plantations run by Chiquita Brands International. Apart from that, it is important to discuss the strategies that were supposed to prevent employees from unionizing. One should explore the main factors that contributed to this problem. Moreover, it is necessary to explain how the management can address these challenges. This task is necessary for ensuring the sustainability of modern businesses that can represent various industries. The root causes of the problems It is important to remember that in many cases, companies like Chiquita Brands International operate in the countries in which there is no rule of law. Admittedly, local governments can adopt various legislative acts that should ensure the proper work of businesses. For instance, one can refer to the laws that guarantee the ri ghts of workers. However, such rules are not always enforced. Moreover, foreign companies can easily bribe local officials (Emett, 2014). In turn, these officials disregarded the lack of safety practices that had to be adopted in the ships owned by Chiquita Brands International (Emett, 2014). Furthermore, journalists believe that the managers of this company tried to prevent workers from unionizing in a forcible way (Schotter Teagarden, 2015). In particular, this corporation relied on the right-wing militia that intimidated those employees who supported the work of trade unions (Emett, 2014). Additionally, in many cases, employees were exposed to dangerous chemicals that could have long-term effects on their health (Esty, 2009, p. 185). Overall, workers employed by this corporation did not receive any protection.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Very often, th ey were left to their own devices (Emett, 2014). So, the management assumed that the company would not have to face any consequences. However, this assumption was completely flawed.  Moreover, the countries in which these businesses operate are affected by various military conflicts such as civil wars. To a large degree, this argument is relevant to Colombia that was affected by internal military conflicts and drugs. In turn, the managers of this company had to give money to such an organization as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. To a large degree, this money was supposed to buy protection (Tricker, 2014, p. 375). It was later revealed that this group was involved in drug trafficking and kidnapping (Tricker, 2014, p. 375). Furthermore, Colombia was severely affected by unemployment, and people were looking for any jobs that could help them sustain themselves. Thus, the bargaining power of employees was not very strong. So, this situation can be partly explained by the legal and economic environment of many developing countries such as Colombia struggling with many internal problems. Nevertheless, more attention should be paid to the absence of ethical safeguards that can prevent business administrators from adopting unscrupulous practices. In particular, the senior managers of this organization believed that they would never be held accountable for such actions. Moreover, they did not attach much importance to such values as integrity and workers’ rights to dignity, decent wages, and safe labor. They did not focus on the needs of these employees because they were not protected by American laws. Furthermore, the managers could be driven by the desire to maximize the revenues of this corporation. Some of them could stick at nothing to achieve this objective. These issues should be identified because they are useful for explaining the underlying causes of such behavior. Very often, the ethical standards adopted by international companies are determined by the policies of local officials. Sometimes, they do not want to enforce the existing laws. In turn, the permissiveness of such governments is the main thing that attracts international companies from various advanced countries in which legislative norms are enforced more efficiently.  Admittedly, one can argue that Chiquita Brands International complied with the standards set by the government of Colombia. Moreover, the representatives of this corporation stated that other American firms had adopted the same practices (Kline, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Chiquita Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, it is not a sufficient excuse for violating the ethical norms. Apart from that, the senior executives of this company wanted to show that it acted as a responsible corporate citizen. Nevertheless, their policies did not live up to their rhetoric (Schotter Teagarden, 2015). It is one of the main details that should be taken into consideration. Additionally, the company incurred considerable losses. For instance, this company had to pay the fine that equaled $ 25 million (Schotter Teagarden, 2015). One should also keep in mind that the stocks of this corporation declined dramatically when the information about its practices was made public. In part, this outcome can be explained by the fact that many buyers can evaluate businesses in terms of their environmental practices and labor relations. Furthermore, some of them do not want to buy the products of companies violating the rights of workers in developing countries. As a rule, these buyers are more educated, and they are not very price-sensitive. It is one of the main trends that should not be overlooked by senior executives. They should not suppose that the absence of legal safeguards enables various malpractices that are not admissible in any advanced country. Such attitudes can have disastrous effect s on the work of businesses, at least in the long term. Preventive and corrective measures The senior executives of this company can use several strategies that can be helpful for addressing such problems. At first, they should consider preventive practices. In particular, one should mention the adoption of the ethical code that should be followed in every case, regardless of the legal environment in which a company operates. The provisions of this code should cover such aspects as HR practices adopted by the organization. For instance, there should be requirements for working conditions, minimal wages, and safety policies. Additionally, these provisions should explicitly prohibit any attempts to bribe local officials. Apart from that, senior managers should enforce the norms of this code. In some cases, this objective can be achieved by penalizing those business administrators who try to act in an unethical way. This argument can be relevant to those managers who disregard safety s tandards. Some of them hope that in this way, they can minimize operational costs.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sometimes, these managers can be dismissed. It is one of the policies that should be used by the senior executives of this corporation.  Nevertheless, more attention should be paid to the educational activities that can be useful for preventing possible dangers. For instance, every business administrator should be informed about the consequences of non-compliance with the ethical standards. At first, they need to keep in mind that such practices can profoundly influence the attitudes of many customers who are now more informed about the unethical practices of corporations. As a result, they may be unwilling to buy the products offered by the company. So, the profitability of the organization will be reduced. It is one of the dangers that should be avoided. The key issue is that the attempts to reduce operational costs at the expense of workers can undermine the performance of a company.  One should also consider the role of leaders who can play several roles. In particular, they can openly object to unscrupulous practices that can impact clients or employees (Maxwell, 2002). In many cases, these individuals should express opinions that can contradict the views held by the majority. For instance, these people can state that some cost-cutting initiatives are not permissible from an ethical perspective. Moreover, in some cases, they have to act like whistle-blowers who raise people’s awareness about unscrupulous business models. These professionals will ensure that the company is not involved in any corporate scandals. Admittedly, their actions can cause the discontent of those business administrators who are mostly concerned with the need to maximize revenues. However, their ethical responsibility is vital to the sustainability of firms working in developing countries.  Furthermore, one should mention certain corrective measures. In particular, the company should hire those workers who could be dismissed only because they disagreed with the policies of the company such as the blatant disregard of safety rules. Apart from that, business administrators should ensure that the health and lives of workers are not exposed to any threats while working on the plantations owned by Chiquita Brands International. Admittedly, this policy can lead to greater operational expenses. However, one should remember the cost of non-compliance can be much higher. To a large degree, Chiquita Brands International has already incurred considerable losses due to its unscrupulous practices. So, the management of this corporation should reject the unethical policies that were adopted previously. It is one of the details that should be taken into account. Discussion The analysis of this case can be of great use to many business administrators, especially if they work at the international level. They should remember that integrity and ethics are the essential prerequisites for the success of the organizations. Indeed, corporate social responsibility does n ot immediately contribute to the financial performance of businesses. It is not directly associated with the increased profitability of enterprises. Nevertheless, these principles are necessary for avoiding potential losses. Moreover, they are essential for attracting customers who focus on the ethical practices of businesses. They do not look only at the prices of products or their quality. This change can be partly explained by the fact that the development of the Internet has made information more accessible. So, buyers can learn more about the practices of businesses and unethical decisions that could be taken by the management. Conclusion The example of Chiquita Brands International suggests that international companies should single out the core ethical principles that should be followed in every case. They should not believe that the absence of proper legislation or poor functioning of the state enables businesses to neglect the rights of workers. Apart from that, one should not suppose that the public will never learn about the cooperation with corrupt policy-makers. In the long term, such policies can adversely impact the profitability of these businesses. In turn, one can also say that the adoption of higher ethical standards has several benefits. At first, this strategy can reduce the risk of fines that can be eventually imposed by the state. Furthermore, this approach is vital for securing the trust of customers. Finally, one should consider the inherent value of such policies. They can demonstrate that the actions of a person can live up to the rhetoric of senior executives. Chiquita Brands International can become more resilient to possible risks if it meets higher standards of the corporate social responsibility. So, the executives of this organization should change their attitudes towards the role of ethics that should not be regarded as a burden. More likely, it is a guide for reducing various risks. Reference List Emett, A. (2014). Blood and Bananas: Chiquita’s Deadly History of Drugs,  Corruption, and Cover-ups. Web. Esty, D. (2009). Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy  to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage. New York, NY: John Wiley Sons. Kline, H. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Colombia. New York, NY: Scarecrow Press. Maxwell, J. (2002). Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know. New York,  NY: Thomas Nelson Inc. Schotter, A., Teagarden, M. (2015). Blood Bananas: Chiquita in Colombia. Boston,  MA: Harvard Business Review. Tricker, B. (2014). Business Ethics: A Stakeholder, Governance and Risk Approach.  New York, NY: Routledge.

Free Essays on Symbolism In Faulkners Barn Burning

Faulkner’s â€Å"Barn Burning† takes place in the Deep South during the 19th Century and is a story about the relationship between a father and son. A father with a need to burn the barns of aristocrats resulting in dragging his family down with him; along with his knowledgeable son. This story presents itself through a lot of symbolism linked to Christianity. The first and main symbolism is fire. The meaning of the fire is taking into many ways, the character’s personality and the Biblical beliefs. Abner is very much like the fires he sets, uncontrollable and destroy anything in its way, having respect for nothing. Abner’s son, Sarty, attempts to put out the fire inside of Abner because he’s sick of what his father is doing to the family and forcing them to share his punishments. Faulkner kind of writes this story as a moralist, portraying why a sensible approach to hardship and disappointments are essential in life to avoid someone’s problems to get so bad that it devours them like an inferno. But fire can be seen not only as destruction but also as a way to purify. It cleans out what was there before, leaving ashes to make new soil and a new land. Fire was present when God spoke to individuals in the Bible. When God chose to speak to Moses, "... the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed" ( Exodus 3:2). 1 Kings 18:24 speaks also of God communicating to people by fire, "'Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.' All the people answered, 'Well spoken!'" Christianity, in addition to the tradition contained within the Hebrew Bible, also refers to fire in the New Testament. Before the beginning of Jesus' ministry, John the Baptist was asked quite frequently if he was the messiah. In Luke 3:16, "John answered all of them by saying, 'I baptize you with water; b... Free Essays on Symbolism In Faulkner's Barn Burning Free Essays on Symbolism In Faulkner's Barn Burning Faulkner’s â€Å"Barn Burning† takes place in the Deep South during the 19th Century and is a story about the relationship between a father and son. A father with a need to burn the barns of aristocrats resulting in dragging his family down with him; along with his knowledgeable son. This story presents itself through a lot of symbolism linked to Christianity. The first and main symbolism is fire. The meaning of the fire is taking into many ways, the character’s personality and the Biblical beliefs. Abner is very much like the fires he sets, uncontrollable and destroy anything in its way, having respect for nothing. Abner’s son, Sarty, attempts to put out the fire inside of Abner because he’s sick of what his father is doing to the family and forcing them to share his punishments. Faulkner kind of writes this story as a moralist, portraying why a sensible approach to hardship and disappointments are essential in life to avoid someone’s problems to get so bad that it devours them like an inferno. But fire can be seen not only as destruction but also as a way to purify. It cleans out what was there before, leaving ashes to make new soil and a new land. Fire was present when God spoke to individuals in the Bible. When God chose to speak to Moses, "... the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed" ( Exodus 3:2). 1 Kings 18:24 speaks also of God communicating to people by fire, "'Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.' All the people answered, 'Well spoken!'" Christianity, in addition to the tradition contained within the Hebrew Bible, also refers to fire in the New Testament. Before the beginning of Jesus' ministry, John the Baptist was asked quite frequently if he was the messiah. In Luke 3:16, "John answered all of them by saying, 'I baptize you with water; b...