Greed Essays - Death Valley, Films, Greed, Michael Milken

Greed Greed Greed is a selfish desire for more than one needs or deserves. Greed can make honest men murderers. It has made countries with rich valuable resources into the poorest countries in the world. We are taught it is bad and not to practice it. But consider a world without greed, where everyone is as sharing as Mother Theresa was. The progress of humankind would be at a standstill. Greed has given our society faster travel, better service, more convenience, and most importantly, progress. Greed has created thousands of billionaires and millions of millionaires. But why is greed associated with evil? In their day, most capitalists like Cornelius Vanderbilt and John D. Rockefeller were depicted as pure evil. Vanderbilt stole from the poor. Rockefeller was a snake. But the name-calling did not come from the consumers; it was the competing businesses that complained. The newspapers expanded on these comments, calling them robber barons. These are inaccurate terms for these businessmen. They were not barons because they all started penniless and they were not robbers because they did not take it from anyone else. Vanderbilt got rich by making travel and shipping faster, cheaper, and more luxurious. He built bigger, faster, and more efficient ships. He served food on his ships, which the customers liked and he lowered his costs. He lowered the New York to Hartford fare from $8 to $1. Rockefeller made his fortunes selling oil. He also lowered his costs, making fuel affordable for the working-class people. The working-class people, who use to go to bed after sunset, could now afford fuel for their lanterns. The people, who worked an average 10-12 hours a day, could now have a private and social life. The consumers were happy, the workers were happy, and they were happy. Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft Corporation is another example of a greedy person. He is the richest man in the world with about $40 billion and he continues to pursue more wealth. Just because he has $40 billion does not mean the rest of the world lost $40 billion, he created more wealth for the rest of the world. His software created new ways of saving time and money and created thousands of new jobs. Bill Gates got rich by persuading people to buy his product. His motive may have been greed, but to achieve that, he had to give us what we wanted. Both parties benefited from the transaction and everybody wins. In general, many businesses donate a percent of its wealth to charity. People not only want but also expect those businesses to donate their money away. Vanderbilt gave one percent of his money away to start Vanderbilt University. Ted Turner donated $1 billion to the United Nations. But why do people think that giving away money is better than making money? Giving away money is much easier than building a new business. Building a new business creates new jobs for people, giving someone the means to support himself. When you give money away, it does not help them become more s elf-sufficient. Charity does not always make big impacts, as people believe they do. For example, who changed the world more, Micheal Milken or Mother Teresa? Milken pioneered a new way for companies to raise money, creating tens of thousands of new jobs. He saved Mattel, the toy maker, by his junk bonds. It is now the world's biggest toy company. His bonds rescued TWA, Revlon, and many other companies. Millions of people now joy cheaper phone calls because he funded the phone company, MCI. His bonds made CNN and other Turner companies possible. On the other hand, Mother Teresa donated every penny to charity and helped tens of thousands of people in slums of Third-World countries. She spent her life doing charity work for the poor. Her deeds continue after her death; four thousand sisters now continue what she begun. Without a doubt, people would say Mother Teresa did more for the world. But their judgements are blinded by the fact that they are looking at their motives. Michael Mil ken didn't suffer; he didn't go into the slums. Mother Teresa went into the slums and she suffered. Milken persuaded wealth because

Foodborne Illnesses essays

Foodborne Illnesses essays Each year up to 81 million Americans suffer from a foodborne illness; out of this number, 9,100 of them die (Gavzer 1997). By recognizing the specific cases that have involved food poisoning, this number can be put into perspective with much greater ease. In August of 1997, Hudson Foods ordered the largest recall in history-25 million pounds of hamburger patties-which resulted from the deadly bacterium known as E. coli 0517:H7. During the spring of 1997, imported raspberries contaminated with the parasite cyclospora sickened thousands of people in 29 states. Just last year, the United States Department of Agriculture inspectors discovered E. coli 0517:H7 in ground beef that was shipped to a Virginia grocery by Beef America, resulting in yet another large recall. And to add to these incidents, earlier this month, some 746 people were sickened by Salmonella heidelberg after eating ham stuffed with vegetables and spices at a Sunday night church dinner in rural Maryland (Spake 72). The numbers and circumstances involving food poisonings are very distressing, since they directly impact the well-being of the citizens of our nation. Due to its relentless ability to transpire, this issue has demanded more and more focus as time has progressed. Most of its attention has recently been centralized on the food processing plants; in particular, the methods and standard operating procedures under which they provide food for consumption. One of the debates that has been brought up over food processing concentrates on who has the authority to establish and administer to these methods and procedures. While private industries would prefer to have the authority to construct their own protocols and carry out the inspections of their facilities; consumer groups, as well as government agencies, find it unquestionably necessary that the government has absolute authority over the regulation of food processing plants. This debate ov...

Influences of economics and marketing on relationships in the global Essay - 1

Influences of economics and marketing on relationships in the global food supply chain - Essay Example The economic policies of the government have opened the economy to foreign direct investment with favorable regulatory structures being laid down for the investors. The government also aimed at integrating the agricultural sector in the global food supply chain with an initiative to support domestic markets. At the same time it encourages the productivity in a buyer driven market. The economic policies developed by the governments provide opportunities for the business houses and supermarkets to increase the supply of food by taking the benefits of the incentives offered by the favorable economic policies. Appropriate marketing strategies were also adopted in order to fight the obstacles of the pressure groups and the roadblocks due to negative publicity. The transition of global food supply chain has occurred as an effect of the increased demand and the economic policies of the government and the marketing strategies of the business houses in order to tap the emerging demand (Lindgr een,  Hingley and  Vanhamme, 2009, p.38). These factors have led to the change of food habits and change in lifestyle of the consumers. Thus the relationships of the global food supply chain have been influenced by the economic role and marketing role of the government and the business houses respectively. Critical review of key literature The relationship of the food supply chain has become an important area of discussion. The underlying forces of economics and marketing have been playing a key role in influencing the relationships between the government, business houses and the consumers or the people. The agricultural sector is the core of food production in any country. The farmers harvest their land to cultivate the crops that are sold in the market. This cultivation of the crops and the marketing distribution channels supply the food required by the consumers. The process of demand and supply of food is now spread all over the world with the rapid functioning of retail sup ermarket chains that cater to customers all over the globe (Clapp, 2013, p.59). In the age of liberalization, the food supply chain has become a global phenomenon and it is not confined to the domestic market. The change in economic policies and economic reforms adopted by the economies towards an open market economy has allowed foreign direct investments in the global food supply chain industry. Thus the agricultural sector and the domestic markets have been exposed to foreign competition which has raised the benchmark of food quality. The consumers or the people have transformed the standards and quality of food demand at par with the standard of exports. Several factors like the rise in population, change in diet and food habits, increase in market competition, rise of prices in the local markets and improvement in food quality have raised the aggregate demand of global food supply chain. The human population is estimated to grow by 35% from 6.85 billion in 2010 to 9.15 billion i n 2050. The spiraling rate of increase in human population and the increase in average income level of the middle class and lower middle class society have led to the increase in global demand of food. In order to contain inflation as a result of the increased global demand of

Project Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Project Management - Research Paper Example A project can be considered an endeavor which is temporary with a beginning and an end which is defined. It is usually constrained in terms of resources and time thus it is pursued in order to achieve unique objectives and goals with added value or beneficial change (Heldman, 2011). Thus, project management is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all the goals intended for a certain project are achieved. This paper will research comprehensively the significant principles of project management by selecting the aspects of a project that are crucial and discussing them further. It aim is to establish the fact that project management as a discipline is crucial in successfully achieving an organization’s objectives Project Life-Cycle Management and the Benefits of Project Management to an Organization Generally a project life cycle management has four phases which are Initiation, planning, execution and closure (Watt, 2013). 1) Initiation The initiation phase involves de veloping a business case, undertaking a study of feasibility, establishing the charter of the project, appointing the team to undertake the project, setting up an office for the project, and finally performing a phase review. 2) Planning Planning involves creating a plan for the project, coming up with a resource plan, a financial plan, and a quality plan. Coming up with a risk plan, procurement plan, and a communication plan is also done in this phase. 3) Execution This is the phase where deliverables are built. It is also in this phase where the project is controlled and monitored. Here, â€Å"cost management, time management, quality management, risk management, change management, communication management, procurement management, acceptance management, and issue management are performed† (Murch, 2001). 4) Closure Here steps are taken to wind up the project formally. Project Organizations and the Importance of Leadership and Sponsorship From a project management point of vi ew, there are three types of organizations, functional, projectized, and matrix organizations. In functional organizations, the manager is in charge of everything including team members completely. In projectized organization, teams are divided into different projects and when the project is over they move to another one. Finally, matrix organizations are a combination of both functional and projectized types of organization. Both leadership and sponsorship play a vital role in project management. The importance of sponsorship is that it avails all the necessary resources needed in project management ensuring that that the project meets its desired goals. On the other hand, the importance of leadership is that it plays a crucial role of controlling, planning and organizing the resources that have been provided by the sponsors ensuring that they are fully utilized enabling the project management team to realize their goals. Leadership in project management also ensures that a project is sponsored fully since it is tasked with seeking sponsors who are obvious beneficiaries of the project once it is undertaken and completed. Project Team Building and Techniques of Successful Team Building A project team is the group of personnel tasked with undertaking the whole process of the life cycle of project management. They may be each tasked to different processes of the project. There are various factors that should be considered when undertaking project team building. It is important for project leaders to understand the project which is

Business Communication Trends Essay Example for Free

Business Communication Trends Essay Business communication plays a big role in our daily work activities as individuals we must manage our daily activities depending on the trends and needs of our current workplace. There are ten Business communication trends the one that I will be discussing is on Quality and customer needs. Business Communication Trends Business communication is very important in my daily work environment. It is so important because we use this to communicate efficiently with our Managers to our customers. I work for The City of Indio in water department. My duties vary from customer service to Engineering administrative assistant. Business communication does play a big role in my day-to-day duties, because we have to be able to have great communication skills orally, and also we must use other communication technology efficiently like emails, letters, memos and phone or teleconferencing. In order to be a good representative we must be able to communicate effectively with our customers. The reason I say this is because we are responsible in making sure that we listen to what the customers needs are and that we are able to satisfactory resolve any issue that the customer might have. Many times when customers have a valid complain we must inform our supervisor via E-mail, depending on the level of urgency regarding the customers complains. I generally prefer to communicate this way because it creates a paper trail and it also protects me. Through these emails we must be able to communicate to our supervisor, what the issue is and what are the solutions that we can offer the customer. Then my supervisors will respond with either an approval or rejection. Then we can communicate with the customer and inform them what the end result is of their complaint. I have found that communicating with my supervisors via e-mail helps keep track of records, and if that same issue were to ever come up again we would have an e-mail that would be proof that particular issue was addressed and brought to our supervisors attention. If the issue is not resolved to the customer satisfaction it would be because there wasn’t a follow-up with the customer and we did not communicate in a professional manner. Business Communication Trends Working in a utility division comes with many challenges. When creating utility statement, wording has be to address in a manner where we are targeting an audience that can read and understand exactly what is being said in a normal monthly water utility bill . For example, what amount is due and when is it due. Many of our customers misinterpret or don’t understand the wording on the utility bills. This causes confusion, and can even cause customers to have the utility services interrupted, because they misinterpret their bill and did not know how to read it correctly. We all have spent countless hours rewording our statements and every time there is that one customer that is looking for a loop in the system to get away out of paying a payment or late fees. Our role as representatives is to ensure that are customer satisfaction is meet, and if there is an error where it might misguide our customers, we want to make sure that we correct the problem before it becomes a problem.

Essay --

Overview Upon entering the field of medicine, physicians agree to practice according to the Hippocratic Oath which states, â€Å"first, do no harm.† Although it seems like this task would be straight forward, it is not always clear on how to carry out this oath. One example of where conflicting viewpoints are often argued is how to resolve child abuse cases such as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP). MSbP is a relatively new form of child abuse in which a parent deliberately fabricates illnesses in their child to receive medical attention. Over the past 30 years, the recognition and prevalence of MSbP has increased, however, it is still difficult to identify and is highly under diagnosed (Maldonado, 2002). It has stirred much controversy and even the name itself is a topic of debate because MSbP is hard to define. Other terms to describe the condition include factitious disorder by proxy, pediatric condition falsification, and medical child abuse (Lowen & Reece, 2008). In treating a child that may be a victim of MSbP, using covert video surveillance (CVS) is controversial because blurred lines exist between using for it for diagnostic reasons versus legal reasons. When conducting CVS, typically two hidden cameras, placed in objects such as a wall clock or a ceiling light, monitor a parent’s activity without their knowledge (Shabde & Craft, 1999). A member of the care team, such as a nurse, and a police officer observe the video footage from a remote site to look for suspicious activity and intervene if the parent begins to harm the child. Some activity that is typically seen on footage include a parent poisoning their child with cleaning solution or salt, removing medical devices such as tubes, and smothering the child. Clinical Per... ...rs of the care team is communicating effectively with each other. Personal Perspective After researching the various viewpoints regarding CVS, I still maintain that it is ethical when used in good faith in order to protect the child. Many case studies have shown that not only is the child more likely to be put in a safer environment when child protective services has the evidence to intervene but it also saves siblings from potential harm. I believe that the physician’s role is to act in the best interest of the patient, especially when outside factors pose a threat to the child’s well-being. Although many view CVS as unethical because it infringes on privacy rights, it can also provide a great benefit. Studies such as the one conducted by David Southall make it difficult to dispute that there is not a value from using CVS as a form of diagnosis and intervention. Essay -- Overview Upon entering the field of medicine, physicians agree to practice according to the Hippocratic Oath which states, â€Å"first, do no harm.† Although it seems like this task would be straight forward, it is not always clear on how to carry out this oath. One example of where conflicting viewpoints are often argued is how to resolve child abuse cases such as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP). MSbP is a relatively new form of child abuse in which a parent deliberately fabricates illnesses in their child to receive medical attention. Over the past 30 years, the recognition and prevalence of MSbP has increased, however, it is still difficult to identify and is highly under diagnosed (Maldonado, 2002). It has stirred much controversy and even the name itself is a topic of debate because MSbP is hard to define. Other terms to describe the condition include factitious disorder by proxy, pediatric condition falsification, and medical child abuse (Lowen & Reece, 2008). In treating a child that may be a victim of MSbP, using covert video surveillance (CVS) is controversial because blurred lines exist between using for it for diagnostic reasons versus legal reasons. When conducting CVS, typically two hidden cameras, placed in objects such as a wall clock or a ceiling light, monitor a parent’s activity without their knowledge (Shabde & Craft, 1999). A member of the care team, such as a nurse, and a police officer observe the video footage from a remote site to look for suspicious activity and intervene if the parent begins to harm the child. Some activity that is typically seen on footage include a parent poisoning their child with cleaning solution or salt, removing medical devices such as tubes, and smothering the child. Clinical Per... ...rs of the care team is communicating effectively with each other. Personal Perspective After researching the various viewpoints regarding CVS, I still maintain that it is ethical when used in good faith in order to protect the child. Many case studies have shown that not only is the child more likely to be put in a safer environment when child protective services has the evidence to intervene but it also saves siblings from potential harm. I believe that the physician’s role is to act in the best interest of the patient, especially when outside factors pose a threat to the child’s well-being. Although many view CVS as unethical because it infringes on privacy rights, it can also provide a great benefit. Studies such as the one conducted by David Southall make it difficult to dispute that there is not a value from using CVS as a form of diagnosis and intervention.

How Should Social Networks Be Utilized in the Workplace?

How could these social networking sites be a threat to a company’s security? In today’s world it seems the human race could not live without information technology in the workplace. More importantly, social networks like Facebook and Twitter are becoming very popular tools for business development in today’s world. There are dozens of social network sites and more popping up every day. It is astounding the number of hours that people waste on such sites.Updating, checking in and sending out bits and blurbs about every little aspect of one's life seems cheap. More astounding than individuals wasting time on these things is that businesses are also wasting time on them. Actual megabuck businesses are in on the whole social networking shtick. The challenge for the business world is how to utilize these social networks effectively and safely. The value of social networks and how they can benefit businesses has been in question recently.Also in question is do these so cial networks create a security risk with employees conveying possibly privileged information to a friend or relative through Facebook or Twitter. How does a company prevent potential security risks? They have to block social networking sites or grant limited access to specific departments. Metro Business College prevents students from accessing social networking sites on school computers but allows faculty and staff to access from their desk computers.Metro’s reasoning is students should be at school to learn, not stare at Facebook all class period. The question then is not are these sights a security risk but rather are these sites a huge time suck for employees which creates a reduction in productivity? The biggest risk a company a company faces is how employees that utilize these sights can make their company look and what effects it could possibly have on their reputation. How social networking can tarnish the reputation of a company or enhance it. Unfortunately, there i s a downside to social networking.It is essentially an open forum and anyone can say and post anything on a company’s page. For the most part, it is potentially dangerous to a company’s reputation. Due to this fact, a company’s networking site should have limited access when it pertains to posting information. Take, for instance, a recent report on The Springfield Brewery in Springfield, Missouri. The social media specialist posted a humorous joke to its Facebook page and unfortunately it was met with several disgruntled comments. Several customers stated they would never â€Å"step foot n the restaurant again†. [ (Pettit, 2013) ] It is bad press such as that over such a small comment that could potentially destroy a company. On the other hand there are companies like Tupperware that use social networking internally to boost the pride employees have for the company, the attachment an employee feels and fun an employee has while at work. [ (Huy, 2012) ] Af ter adopting these social media concepts the turnover rate fell by fifteen percent and a webcast created new sales of $700,000 in just three days. (Huy, 2012) ] Sometimes social media can create opportunities for companies that they normally would not have and it is the companies that are willing to evolve and understand the importance of social networking that will survive. Another company that utilizes social networking site is Metro Business College they found that websites such as Facebook and Twitter can be excellent recruiting tools and also they are useful to keep track of their student body and possibly help them if they have issues with homework or even personal problems.Social networking can be an invaluable tool to an organization if utilized properly and monitored by administrators to prevent potentially damaging posts or comments. How to make social networking work for the greater good of the company LinkedIn can be a valuable tool. Resumes can be posted there which can be utilized by human resources departments for recruiting purposes. Potential employees post their profiles there, which also can be utilized by the human resources department to check the character of a potential recruit. Slovensky, 2012) Some companies are requiring potential employees to provide human resources access to their Facebook pages so they can see the character of the candidate. Companies post jobs on networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook which can benefit other companies to view how their competition is doing, if they are posting new positions then that company is most likely in a state of growth. People looking for jobs are on these sights and they provide all the information a potential employer needs to make an informed hiring decision.When it comes to professional social networking, LinkedIn is the most successful site of its kind. It is better than Facebook or Twitter because it eliminates the everyday social aspect, including the posting of how one’ s morning breakfast made them feel and the LOLs. Another benefit of LinkedIn is that all discussions and groups are moderated. Nonsense is kept to a minimum. Rarely does one have to deal with spam or irritation there. It is a safe haven for serious social networking, for serious business connection building and for serious relationship building.However, there are benefits to using networking sites like Facebook as well. After all, Facebook does have 175 million members according to an article called Inside Facebook written in 2009. Maintaining the strategic advantage through e-business and social networking The questions a company must ask are:  To how many social networks do you belong? How valuable are they to you? If they went away tomorrow, would you feel any impact to your business? A simple answer is that individuals should choose one or two professional networks and farm those like any other social networking situation.Leave the shot gunning to the amateurs. Make connection s that count. 10,000 â€Å"Likes† do not mean anything if they are not buying, reading, recommending or influencing. Companies should not waste your time with such pursuits. The return on investment is not high enough. Mass mailings do not work. Certain types of advertising just do not work for some businesses. Building relationships with clients is the most important aspect of any business and that is best done through human contact not a mass email.Do not rely on flash-in-the-pan online social networks to build your business. Clients and potential clients like to know that there's a 98. 6 degree hand on the other end of those messages and not a piece of software. It might sound old-fashioned and outdated but there is nothing like true social networking to build a business. A company builds a business through building relationships. Studies have shown that relying on social networks to create strong ties actually has the opposite effect and instead weakens them.Facebook is a good example of a social networking site that creates weak ties (Jennifer, 2010). Instead of creating direct networks among its participants, the social networking site creates sub-networks. With no direct link to the company or the issue at hand it can create weaker ties and a customer that does not show as much company loyalty. (Slovensky, 2012) In the end it does not matter how the company views social networking but how the customer base views that company’s use of these social networking sites.If they are well monitored and provide password protected use for a limited amount of employees then it can be beneficial. However, the biggest issue most companies face is that one instance when something is posted that causes a security breach or something is posted that hurts the company’s reputation. They then have to answer the question, what do we do next? Social networking is not going anywhere in fact it is growing everyday with new sites popping up all of the time and companies that want to survive will need to get on board.References Huy, Q. &. (2012). The key to social media success within organizations. MIT SLoan Management Review , 54 (1), 73-81. Jennifer, S. (2010). Planning in the age of facebook: the role of social networking in planning processes. GeoJournal , 75 (5), 407-420. Slovensky, R. &. (2012). Should human resource managers use social media to screen job applicants? managerial and legal issues in the USA. Ifno: The Journal of Policy, Regulation and Strategy for Telecommunications, Information and Media , 14 (1), 55-69.