Ethics & people Essay Example for Free

Ethics people Essay The question of ethics is particularly important for a person who is both part of society and works with a group. The development of community and collective self is impossible without the struggle of opposing ideas and positions, and the collision of different points of views and opinions through which it is possible to overcome contradictions and disagreements. The relationship within a team works in a â€Å"mirror-system† where members can see their behavior reflected in their interaction with other people. An example of this can be seen when group members introduce themselves to each other. Usually, group members gauge how they will act depending on how the first person introducing will make them feel. If they feel comfortable with the personality of that person, they will also act naturally. However, if they feel threatened or intimidated, they will also exhibit signs of such. Understanding this particular group dynamic is important in maintaining relationships in the workplace. Once members understand this, they start to create their own group values/culture of which good ethics is a foundation. The presence of group ethics and values can lead to the success of a group especially in diffusing conflicts to maintain decorum and maintain work ethic (Green 2006). I want to point out an experience I had in which I acted unethically within a group. This instance happened last semester when I took a class in Entrepreneurship and got into an argument with a groupmate while planning for a project entitled â€Å"Blue Ocean Strategy†. I was trying to convince him that my side was right. I was on the verge of tears that I raised my voice and walked out on him, slamming the door as I left. In retrospect, I realized that I reacted unethically to the situation. Since I was part of a team, my actions disrupted the group and affected our work ethic. But what was I to do? Keep quiet even though I had a good suggestion for the group? Let my idea be discarded without me fighting for it? I have tried to justify my actions as a way for me to assert myself, to make my groupmate realize that I was trying to contribute to the group. This, however, did not change the fact that my outburst affected my groups opinion of me. Now I understand that to act ethically is to act calmly in resolving conflicts. In defending my ideas, I have to be careful to exude confidence calmly and not arrogantly. Being aggressive and arrogant creates a negative feeling within the group. It is also important to choose words carefully when dragged into a conflict. It is even better if I keep my silence even if my groupmate is goading me. I should calm myself and wait for my partner to calm down too before we try and solve the problem. The Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu in his book The Art of War shared that it is best to win without fighting (Tzu 1). Thus, the real winner of any conflict is the one who is able to prevent it from the start. It is an important exercise to weigh factors first before getting into a conflict. â€Å"What have I got to gain? To lose? †, â€Å"Will these actions lead to a solution for the group or for myself? † These are the questions that I will ask myself before I confront any one, not just members of my group. Conflicts will always arise whenever people get together. What is important is how the group will move together to resolve such issues. Even though groups move in different contexts, whether political, social, industrial or domestic, the strategies to conflict management are grounded on one, same idea. We should always act and behave ethically and not let emotions seize our actions. Works Cited Green, Daryl. Understanding Group and Personal Ethics. Nu Leadership Series. 2006. EzineArticles. com. Web. 21 July 2010. http://ezinearticles. com/? Understanding- Group- and-Personal-EthicsNu-Leadership-Seriesid=419973 Tzu, Sun. The Art of War. Trans. Shawn Conners and Lionel Giles. Texas: el Paso Norte

Sony Corporation Executive Summary :: Sony Business Marketing Essays

Sony Corporation Executive Summary Sony's current financial difficulties are tied into its corporate culture which were stated over 30 years ago. With such a large multinational corporation, greater planning and more use of strategies should be pursued. Sony could start with the implementation of a new mission statement, with profit and benefits of the company tied more closely to everyday operations. Internally, the four forces, the management, the designers, the production and the marketing should achieve better communication and cooperation. Alliance and cooperation between competitors should also be actively sort after in order to create standards in new fields. Sony should aim at being the leader instead of being the maverick. As for cost cutting, Sony should seriously consider setting up operations in other Asian countries in order to take advantage of the cheap labour and the budding markets. Finally, diversification, instead of pursuing the fast changing and easily imitated consumer goods market, Sony should use its technological know-how for high-end business and office equipment. With SWOT analysis and Porter's competitive forces model, we can view that the market is much more competitive with less profit margins and lead-time for product innovation. The conclusion is that change is needed in Sony. However,even with strategirial and structure change, the Sony spirit of innovation should remain intact because that is what made Sony grow and would make it stay strong. Introduction The first thing that comes to peoples minds of the company and products of Sony is its high-technology-filled-with-gadgets electronic goods and innovation. It was also this innovation that make Sony the greatest company that started in post-war Japan. Sony has used its innovation in building markets out of thin air, created a multibillion, multinational electronic empire with products such as the transistor radio, the Trinitron, the Walk-in and the VTR. that changed everyday household lives forever. However, this consumer targeted quest for excellence and constant innovation instead of targeting mainly at profit also has a lot to do with current crisis Sony is facing - sales and profits are down or are slowing down, capital investment cost and R&D are climbing, competitors are moving in with copycats, the battle between VHS and Beta and the search for a smash hit product such as the Trinitron or the Walk-in. This volatility and emphasis (or gambling) on new products instead of concentrating on profit and loss statements have always been a part of Sony since its beginning days. For each successful product (i.e. transistor radio and Trinitron), R&D cost often ran so high that the they pushed the firm to the verge of bankruptcy. This can also be seen through the eyes of the investor in which although sales have increased tremendously

Did Lizzie Borden Commit Murder

A little over a century ago an atrocious double murder was committed, in the two-half story house at 92 Second Street, in Fall River, Massachusetts. This crime shocked the city of Fall River, as well as the nation, as Lizzie Borden, a 32-year-old Sunday school teacher, went on trial for the murder of her father and her stepmother. (Augustine). An all male jury eventually acquitted her on the accusations. (Aiuto). To this day, the murderer of Andrew J. Borden and Abby Gray Borden is still unknown, but in the public mind everyone believes it was Lizzie Borden.Lizzie was born and grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. She was the youngest daughter of Andrew Jackson Borden, who was a very successful Banker and Sarah Borden. Sarah died when Lizzie was very young and Andrew then married Abby Durfee Gray. Lizzie grew up with an elder sister, Emma. Neither of them ever married. It is said the sisters hated their stepmother, mainly because of the family’s inferior social position. (Hist ory Channel). Many of the wealthier houses at the time had electricity and running water, the Borden house did not, making Andrew’s reputation a penny pincher. Clark). On the day of August 4, 1892, the bodies of Andrew Borden and his wife were found mutilated. (History Channel). As opposed to 40 whacks, in the popular rhyme, 19 blows struck Abby Borden by a hatchet or axe to the back of her head and neck. (History Channel). At the time she was cleaning the guestroom of the family home, at 9:30 am. Andrew Borden, who had returned home around 10:30 am, after his daily business had been attended to, was napping on a couch in the parlor, when he was attacked. (Lizzie). 11 blows were struck upon Mr.Borden's head and face, to the point that one eye hung from its socket, making him unrecognizable. (History Channel). There were only two people in or about the house at the time of the killings, Lizzie Andrew Borden and Bridget Sullivan, the Borden's maid. (Clark) There is some specula tion as to others that may have been responsible for these evil acts. Among the other alleged killers is John Morse, the brother of Andrew's first wife, Emma Borden, Lizzie's elder sister. Soon after the murders, Lizzie emerged as the prime suspect after John Morse’s alibi checked out. Clark). She then was arrested and tried on three counts, the murder of Abbey, of Andrew, and of them both and, if found guilty, faced death by hanging. (Clark). What makes the Fall River murders so perplexing is that the motive, the weapon and the opportunity for such a crime are all absent. When the Fall River constabulary investigated the murders, they found no money or jewelry missing, not even small amounts of change or the packet of bus tickets as were taken in the daytime break-in at the Borden home twelve months earlier. (History Channel).There was some speculation on Andrew having a will, but no will was ever found, leaving the entire estate to Lizzie and Emma. (Clark). A local pharmaci st reported Lizzie coming into his store and asking for prussic acid or hydrogen cyanide on several different occasions two weeks prior to the murders. (Augustine). Lizzie insisted that she needed it to clean an item of clothing, but the pharmacist refused to sell it to her without a prescription. (Augustine). Also, when the bodies had been discovered many people from throughout the neighborhood were entering and exiting the crime scene and could have easily moved evidence to protect Lizzie. Clark). Besides the lack of a clear motive for the murders, there was also the perplexing lack of opportunity. Fall River found the entire Borden house locked up as usual, and during the two-and-a-half-hour period in which both murders were completed, the maid Bridget was outside the house washing windows and daughter Lizzie was inside the house reading a magazine. (History Channel). Even if one of the two committed the crime, the violent and bloody act should have been noisy enough to attract t he attention of the other. There was also not a lot of blood splatter at the crime scene. (Clark).If Lizzie were to have murdered her parents there should have been some sort of blood on Lizzie’s clothes. (Clark). The prosecution used this as a key part of their trial. They had a witness that said she saw Lizzie burning a blue dress in her kitchen and the prosecution insisted that it was the dress Lizzie killed her parent’s in. (Clark). Lizzie did in fact burn a dress and was seen doing so, but she was burning it because she had no use for it anymore because it was soiled with paint. (Clark). June 1893, Lizzie was arrested and sent to trial. The all-male jury was put into a difficult position. (Lizzie).It was the Victorian Era where women were considered delicate flowers and not capable of killing someone and it was not a common issue to deal with in those times. (History Channel). After only an hour of deliberating, the jury declared Lizzie to be not guilty. It is sai d it only took them 15 minutes to decide, but out of respect for the prosecution, they waited another 45 minutes before they informed the court of their decision. (Lizzie). Shortly after the trial, Emma and Lizzie each inherited half of their father's estate, about $200,000. 00 each, which was a large amount of money in those days. (History Channel).Their first purchase was a home on The Hill, at 7 French Street, which Lizzie named Maplecroft. (Clark). Lizzie also changed her name to Lizbeth. (Clark) Lizzie became a social outcast after the trial, with few friends remaining loyal. (History Channel). Her every move was criticized: if she appeared solemn in public, it was because she was guilt-ridden because of her crime; if she was happy, it proved she was a heartless monster. Lizzie soon had to travel farther to do her shopping, but she was not left along by reporters. (Clark). Reports after the trial of Lizzie usually were rumors, from engagements to cases of shoplifting.These pape rs never seemed willing to print tales of her good deeds, such as her many charitable donations, her aide to deserving young people who could not afford a college education. (Clark). Nor did they print stories of her love of animals, or of the arts. (Clark). The murder of Andrew and Abby Borden will forever be a cold case and one of the most gruesome crimes that could have been committed by a woman. People will always have some sort of curiosity towards this case because of the lack of evidence, the opportunity and motive that could have possibly been.Works Cited Aiuto, Russell. â€Å"Lizzie Borden Took An Ax. † TruTv. Turner Broadcasting System, 2010. Web. 27 Oct 2010Augustine, Megan. â€Å"Dusting off a Cold Case with Modern Forensics: Lizzie Borden†¦fortyone. † The Forensics Examiner. 14. 4 (2005): 52+ Academic OneFile. Web. 14 Oct 2010.Clark, Denise M. â€Å"How Lizzie Got Away With Murder. † Crimemagazine. com. Crime Magazine,2010. Web. 25 Oct 2010. Th e History Channel: The Strange Case Of Lizzie Borden. New Video, 2005. DVD. â€Å"Lizzie Andrew Borden. †Karisable. com. Karisable Burns. 26 Apr. 2004. Web. 27 Oct 2010.

Harriet Jacobs s Story The True Meaning Of A Slave s...

Harriet Jacobs’s story informs the reader of her experiences and transformative tribulations she had to undergo from childhood to adulthood. No one in today’s society could come close to comprehending the amount of heartache, torment, anguish, and complete misery women had to suffer and endure during slavery. However, we can all learn from Jacobs’s heartbreaking story to understand the true meaning of a slave’s quest for freedom and the inalienable bond a mother has for her children. Life was tough and very cruel for Harriet Jacobs and other female slaves. Slave women, especially young girls, found that their bodies were the property of their slaveholder. Their bodies were looked upon as sexual objects, deemed to be used any way the master saw fit. Slave women were taunted and insulted, in Harriet Jacobs’s case, but many others were frequently raped. In addition, slave women washed, sewed, picked cotton and assumed primary responsibility for the care of their children and the slaveholders children. Many slave mothers had to undergo the gut-wrenching pain of watching their children be sold to other slaveholders, and in most cases, never see their children again. If the women or any slave tried to resist the slaveholder, they would be whipped until the master thought the punishment was at an end. Harriet Jacobs has witnessed and suffered through a very difficult time in life that faced many hardships and cruelties such as physical and psychological abuse, th e separation ofShow MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesbuilt-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Kim S. Cameron UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Prentice Hall Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto Delhi Mexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul SingaporeRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 PagesCongress Subject Headings: Principles and Application, Fourth Edition Lois Mai Chan Developing Library and Information Center Collections, Fifth Edition G. Edward Evans and Margaret Zarnosky Saponaro Metadata and Its Impact on Libraries Sheila S. Intner, Susan S. Lazinger, and Jean Weihs Organizing Audiovisual and Electronic Resources for Access: A Cataloging Guide, Second Edition Ingrid Hsieh-Yee Introduction to Cataloging and Classification, Tenth Edition Arlene G. Taylor LIbRaRy and InfoRMaTIon