ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Friedman and Drucker were confronted with a very important issue when it comes to the need for standards and rules that must govern how American society and its people must behave under different circumstances. Friedman focused on the role of corporations and business leaders when it comes to nation-building and how they are being pressured by expectations that they must be socially responsible entities. Drucker on the other hand was more ambitious that he proposed to go beyond the discussion of business ethics and to develop a system of thought that will help guide each person so that they will know what to do when faced with moral issues that may conflict with their needs and aspirations. Drucker also highlighted that it would be detrimental to have a separate set of rules for the leaders and the elite. Ethics must apply to all according to Drucker while Friedman argued that a business organization does not have to behave like an individual for it was created for a different purpose and so it must behave according to its expected output. Doing the Right Thing It does not require a social scientist to understand that the current global economic turmoil and the various sex scandals involving leaders and influential people are linked to the non-observance of ethical standards. The degradation of the environment as a result of the reckless exploitation of natural resources in the name of a corporate god is the reason why many people are suffering from the after-effects of climate change and pollution. It is time to stop the madness and it is time to have accountability in politics and in business circles. This is easier said than done and there is a good reason why many continue to violate ethical standards and are not mindful of the idea that corporations must give back to the community. Drucker and Friedman attempted to address these issues by writing separate articles that clarified what is going on within business organizations and why it is extremely difficult to do the right thing. As mentioned earlier Drucker was more ambitious that he tried to cover everything. Friedman on the other focused more on social responsibility and why it is not possible to do it without violating the concept of free market, the idea that shaped America and made her one of the richest nations in the world. Friedman was very critical when it comes to the sincerity of those who preach about “social responsibility” without first finding out if their companies can support the initiative to give back to the community when the organization’s main goal is to achieve cost-efficiency and to make as much money for the various stakeholders supporting the said company (Friedman, 1970). Friedman challenged his readers to be a critical thinker and find out if the ideas embodied in standard “social responsibility” rhetoric is feasible or not. Drucker on the other hand wanted to go beyond the superficial and made an interesting argument that if a society will not aspire to do the right thing an
Ever since humans formed organized society, social values, cultural context, and circumstances dictated the dynamics of human interaction. These values acquired nuances, prejudices; preferences over time that today form the vast body of sociological research. This essay examines the issue of Race, Class, and Gender politics focusing on the feminist movement as a transformational element in human affairs through the works of Paula S Rothenberg and Bell Hooks. According to Paula S Rothenberg in Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, in America, race matters. It matters if you are Black or White and there is no doubt that ‘whiteness’ ensures better opportunity and treatment. A black person is more likely to be charged with a criminal offense than a white person. Prison statistics show that more black persons are incarcerated than white. Added to this confluence of negative factors is the question of class. The American society despite the outward appearance of egalitarianism is very class-conscious. To most, wealth determines class. To others, ‘breeding’ also determines the class and those right on top are the ones that have both wealth and breeding. The social construction of difference in America has its historical roots in the days of slavery, the civil war, the civil rights movement, and the various shades of affirmative action that have still not managed to shake off the shackles of age-old prejudices and beliefs. Discrimination occurs in every walk of life including legal discrimination. In America, there are invisible privileges for being white that people take for granted and are not consciously aware of. It is also possible that by knowing that ‘whiteness’ exists, reengineering of the present social systems can be attempted so that real equality amongst different denominations occurs. Along with race and class issues, are gender issues. Rothenberg believes that the oppression of women is a central theme of the feminist movement. Women, because of their gender are caught in a double bind on almost all issues including issues of sexual freedom. A sexually active woman is most likely to be called a ‘whore’ on the other hand if she remains heterosexually inactive she is most likely to be called “frigid”, “man hater” “uptight” and other derogatory epithets which only reinforce popular stereotypes against them. A black woman, in addition to being gender disadvantaged, is also color disadvantaged which acts as a double negative for her treatment and status in American society. Bell Hooks in
The Al- Qaeda terrorist network is infamous for its terrorist activities across the world. Al-Qaeda, which was formerly headed by slain terrorist, Osama Bin Laden has successfully carried out terrorist attacks in different countries in the last two decades. The terrorist organisation is affiliated with other terror groups in different parts of the world. This paper will discuss how Al-Qaeda’s jihad against the United States has failed. Al-Qaeda carried out the worst terrorist attack on US soil on September 11, 2001. This act of terror compelled the US government and her allies to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. Al-Qaeda’s ideology targets the US as an enemy because of its foreign relations policies (James &Lombardi, 2010, p. 413). It uses extremist Islamic ideologies to justify its terrorist activities against the US and its allies. The group accuses them of desecrating holy Islamic territories. Al-Qaeda’s terrorist attacks have killed and maimed many innocent civilians across the world. It receives support from extremist Islamic groups in the Middle East and beyond. However, it seems to be gradually losing its ideological power against the United States. The ideological influence that the terrorist group has held for about two decades is declining. There have been sustained efforts by the US and other western countries to win the hearts and minds of Muslims all over the world. Moderate Muslims who tolerate religious and political diversity are driving this ideological shift in various parts of the world. James and Lombardi (2010) reveal that, the ability of the terrorist group to plan and execute terrorist attacks on US soil has been diminished significantly (pp. 414-415). Muslims with moderate leanings are reversing the ideological dominance Al -Qaeda has had in Islamic societies in the last decade. The September 11 attacks showed the clash of civilisations between Islamic and liberal western societies. This situation has gradually changed because more Muslims now understand that Al-Qaeda’s activities have made the world a more dangerous place to live in. Fewer countries in the Middle East permit extremist Islamic ideology that spreads intolerance and hatred. Many citizens in Islamic countries are demanding better governance from their leaders than ever before (James & Lombardi, 2010, p. 416). This shows that more Muslims want changes in their societies that can bring improvements in their living conditions. Citizens in many Islamic countries are more outspoken on human rights, governance and transparency issues in their governments. The Bush administration strengthened its association with various civil society bodies in Islamic countries. James and Lombardi (2010) reveal that, this association was meant to foster good relations between the west and Islamic societies (p. 417). The administration needed to change negative perceptions in the Middle East about the US; reinforced by the jihadist ideologies of Osama bin Laden. The US also encouraged Arab leaders to foster openness, good governance, tolerance and transparency in their countries so as to improve the lives of their citizens. Arab leaders have recognised the need to speak o
Summary Manufacturing companies are facing the concerns of a varying economic situation and competitive pressure, which compel them to acclimatize and establish tools for the effective management of their operations in line with the set aims and objectives. Traditional research had a tendency to concentrate on the application of financial accounting data to manage operational tasks. Over and above such information being inadequate to improve organizational performance, there is a need to employ managerial accounting data both in the short- and long-term planning (Wongjinda, Ussahawanitichakit, & Janjarasjit, 2015). Managerial accounting function utility acts as a vital tool for the executives who embark on strategizing, organizing, and discussing to facilitate organizational success. It enables managers to use broad practices to enhance the efficiency and accomplishment of their operations as the information acquired is richer and more valuable than in financial accounting. Therefore, organizational executives should apply the proficiencies, capabilities, and understanding of the managerial accounting practices, in addition to being aware of the inconsistent business settings, to tackle the problems of control with the help of the obtained information. The aspects of managerial accounting inclination encompass setting of the objective to be realized, intended costing utilization, value chain application, cost distribution establishment, and financial planning and implementation. Such elements play a vital role in enabling organizations to have exceptional operational expertise, first-rate cost management, advanced data expediency, valuable decision-making, efficient management of resources, and success. Furthermore, future studies ought to establish precursors, moderators, and management variables of accounting controls and the company’s outcomes connections. Such factors operate jointly to create the most suitable model for organizational performance (Wongjinda et al., 2015). Additionally, organizations require continually adjusting in environmental variation and operation control practices through the implementation of managerial accounting progressions that direct them to sustainable competitive benefit and objective realization. Most of the concepts in the study seek theory to give details of occurrences for the comprehension of the underlying affiliations. Consequently, the conceptual paper may establish a plan for a proposition by developing the design as a skewed questionnaire tool. A questionnaire may utilize keywords in the descriptions of the dimension of data collection from the sample (Wongjinda et al., 2015). Samples are supposed to be greatly flex
Executive Summary Amazon offers a variety of services and products, and it can be considered a company with extensive resources and capabilities. One of the areas that it is interested in is the tablet market. Currently, Amazon sells six models of tablets, three of which are sold as child-friendly devices. An analysis of the target consumer groups reveals that children and media consumers are the two main categories that Amazon considers as potential customers. Moreover, Amazon differentiates its tablets from those of competitors by building a relationship with its customers that lasts beyond the purchase of a tablet. The devices’ original operational system, original applications, and access to Amazon goods and services create a framework in which Amazon customers are encouraged to remain. Combined with low prices, Amazon Fire tablets occupy a niche that is different from expensive Apple and Samsung products. However, as the tablet market’s size continues to fluctuate, Amazon’s tablets are losing their appeal. The primary recommendation for Amazon is to update the software and hardware of its Fire tablets, which should help retain the attention of its target audience and open new possibilities for market growth. Introduction Amazon is a company that currently operates in multiple industries, delivering both physical products and services to its customers. The CEO of the organisation, Jeff Bezos, continues to support innovations that have allowed Amazon to compete with major firms in the areas of retail, music and video streaming, and others (Gershgorn et al. 2017). Moreover, the business continues to focus on areas whose future remains unclear to many analysts ( Detachable tablets return 2018). In particular, one can look at the tablet market and the public’s continuously changing interests in the range of tablet devices. Historically, most technology manufacturing companies have not started their businesses with tablets or e-book readers as the basis of their product lines. Amazon, a company that gained popularity as a seller of books, saw an opportunity to advance its services with the help of book digitisation, thus leading to the creation of a new sector – e-books (Sawhney, Owens & Goodman 2014). Later, the competition with other book stores and an investigation into customers’ needs encouraged Bezos to introduce another type of device – the Kindle Fire, later renamed as the Amazon Fire tablet. In contrast to the previous concept of an e-book reader, Amazon Fire tablets have a broader range of capabilities, allowing their owner to browse and access the vast selection of books, movies, television shows, and games provided by Amazon. Currently, Amazon offers six main versions of its tablet, with th
The case of Galleon Group exemplifies the ethical pitfalls that can profoundly shape the decisions of entrepreneurs and financial managers. This scandal broke out because Rajat Gupta passed private information about mergers and quarterly revenues of different companies to a hedge-fund manager, Raj Rajaratham. In turn, this activity enabled these people to earn more than 33 million during two years. Later, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused these individuals of corporate fraud and insider trading. Moreover, this accusation led to their conviction. These are the main elements of this case. Researchers define insider trading as either buying or selling stock by people who possess private information about its future value. Such activities usually enables individuals to derive substantial benefits from these financial transactions. Moreover, inside trading can deprive potential investors of their savings, especially if they buy stocks that can soon depreciate. Insider trading is illegal in most advanced countries like the United States or the United Kingdom, This is the policy that legislators currently adopt. Moreover, this activity contradicts various ethical models, which decision-makers can use. One can analyze insider trading with the help of different ethical frameworks. For instance, it is possible to apply a utilitarian approach. According to this theory, an individual should focus primarily on the consequences of their actions, rather than their motives. Thus, people, who take part in insider training, deprives investors of the potential profits or even their life-long savings. For example, due to Enron fraud, many people purchased stocks, which proved to virtually worthless. This is why utilitarian ethics cannot justify such financial practices. Second, one can apply deontological ethics in order to discuss insider trading. The supporters of this approach lay stress on the need to comply with existing social norms. Therefore, people like Rajat Gupta or Raj Rajaratham act immorally even if the consequences of their actions are beneficial. Although, Rajat Gupta may spend this money on philanthropy, from a deontological perspective, this pretext is not sufficient for justifying insider trading. The problem is that such an action violates the duties of a moral individual. So, people should not overlook this issue when making their ethical choices. Furthermore, it is possible to use the virtual ethics. In this case, one should focus on the qualities that a certain behavior embodies. For example, insider trading can represent secrecy, unscrupulousness, and willingness to earn money at the expense of others. Moreover, people, who take part in insider trading, disregard the welfare of other people. Therefore, in this case, one can speak about complete irresponsibility and unwillingness to put oneself in the position of other people. Thus, such attributes are not typical of ethical individuals who do not disregard the needs of other people. Finally, one can apply such a concept as veil
In his book, John Ehle describes the events that are connected with the Indian Removal Act that led to the notorious Trail of Tears. In time of Andrew Jackson’s presidency, the Cherokee tribe was removed to “Indian Territory”, today’s states of Oklahoma and Arkansas. There are different points of view on reasons for such removal. The most popular version is the American greed for Indian land and gold; however, Ehle argues that President Jackson had consistent and logical reasons to displace Native Americans. Ehle is convinced that the Cherokee removal was related to the question of national security. Despite common opinion that Native Americans have always been the peaceful and innocent victims of the White racism and unlimited desire for material wealth, Indians can be fairly accused of numerous cases of atrocity against settlers. Ehle claims that Whites are no more racist than Indians since the discourse of Indian experience evidences the pride for their copper-colored skin and frequent cases of desire to murder the “ugly whites” (Ehle 45). Tribal chiefs discouraged Indians from marriages with Whites because they were worried for the purity of their blood. Whites are often depicted as a nation of slaveholders: it is a primary accusation of all American settlers; however, Native Americans were not strange to slavery as well. Although history and experience show that Indians’ attitude to their slaves was better than that of white Americans, they provided much worse living conditions for the slaves due to the lack of food and resources. Ehle exemplifies the brutality of Native Americans in a wide range of ways, providing the detailed depiction of their rites and traditions such as hostage tortures, digestion of enemies’ body parts, etc. He argues that the decision to remove Indians to the “Indian Territory” was the only way to provide the national security. As Ehle states, at the beginning of the 19th century, the American government faced the problems of slavery and Indian rights; “the first was solved by the bloodiest war ever fought on the continent, and the second by a method of feints and dives and problems and evasions” (105). He argues that if the American administration chose to solve the problem of Indian rights by military actions, the war would be much more violent and atrocious. Therefore, the Trail of Tears was the best of a bad bunch, even if Indians considered White Americans as cowards because they did not want to shed the blood (in Native American tradition, people should fight for their land and die in battle if it is their fate). However, the Washington unwillingness to start a war risking the lives of thousands of people and the Indian Removal Act were the reasonable and justified political decisions. Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation addresses the wide audience as it is written in a simple language. The obvious drawback of the book is the lack of thorough analysis of possible decisions of the situation. Ehle does not admit the version of a compromise between two folk
An old Latin proverb says “Dura lex sed lex suus” (“The law is harsh, but it is the law”), and that is the ground for all the restrictions humanity has ever had. Those laws can be subdivided into the civil ones and the spiritual ones. One question is which of those is of more importance. The other question is whether they can be separated. And it was Locke who tried to answer the both. The first thing I would like to discuss is Locke’s point about the state of nature. According to his claim (1980, p. 101), each person has the state of perfect freedom, which is not the privilege of the few but the opportunity for everyone. The question that comes to my mind is the following: “The opportunity for what? Or to do what? To live and die? To strive and then perish?” And, speaking of the mutual love amongst men (Locke, 1980), I dare say that it is considerable in nature but hardly possible in society. Then what Locke (1980, p.8) was driving at was that the perfect development of a human being could only be possible in the natural environment only, aside from the society. It is a sad but true point. However, that is what we have on the one hand. Meanwhile, on the other hand, an individual’s development is impossible outside the other people’s influence. At this point Lock comes close to the definition of a person and personality, one of them an integral part of the social environment. Locke’s concept of God (1980, p.) is referred to Deism, the key point of which is the observation of nature and not intruding into it. The idea is very close to Buddhism, though the origins take roots from European philosophy. It seems to me it is well understood that the rude interference in the creations of God must not take place. Yet sometimes such a position may take over the common sense and drive to passive life observation, and a man can lose the will to fight, finding a philosophic reason for that. Locke’s concept of virtue and reason is the consequence of the religious beliefs he had. He was determined to nurse the best of human’s qualities in ordinary men, and this point drove him to the idea of self-denial and rationality that must be the main character features of an ideal man of the new era (Locke 1980). How does that sound nowadays? I am afraid that today ‘s egocentric world will not find self-denial very attractive. Still I wonder if those two qualities Lock was talking about could ever come together. They can be hardly found mixed in a single person. In fat, what we can observe nowadays can be hardly called a rational mankind. It seems to me that rationality as it is, bare and simple, is a dangerous quality. However, Locke argued that “slavish discipline makes a slavish temper” (Locke 1980). It is notable that he argued against beating children, giving the same reason. Indeed, a man raised in fear makes no good human. What he can make then is a good servant. Coming to the point of the na