Friday, December 27, 2019

Volkswagen Utilitarian Ethics - 1055 Words

Volkswagen is under investigation following reports from the EPA that they had installed software into their engines that deceived emissions testers. Furthermore, engineers updated this software in 2014, claiming that they were improving the vehicles. James Liang, a senior engineer who had worked for Volkswagen for 30 years, admitted to investigators in September of 2016 that he had designed the software in question. Further investigation has revealed that this conspiracy may have involved executives of the company. It is unknown to the public whether Liang was acting under orders when he designed the software or he decided to create it on his own to meet requirements his superiors gave him. Both rule utilitarianism and Kantian duty ethics†¦show more content†¦Rule utilitarians look at classes of actions, such as lying, giving to charity, and murder, in a two step process. First, a majority of people must accept the action as morally correct. Then, morality can be determined by the results of the action. For example, if a majority of people were to accept murder as good, many people would be hurt. Therefore, murder is morally wrong. Unlike Kantian ethics, where intent is important and consequences are irrelevant, rule utilitarianism solely analyzes the results of a class of actions, regardless of the intent behind them. Kantian ethics and rule utilitarianism disagree on the morality of creating a â€Å"defeat device.† This device determined when its engine was undergoing emissions testing then switched from its normal operating mode into a lower emission mode. The normal emission mode was 40 times the limit dictated by the Clean Air Act [1]. By creating a dirty engine, Liang contributed towards the destruction of the atmosphere. This will negatively impact the quality of life for many future generations of people. Because damaging the environment negatively impacts millions of people, rule utilitarianism declares it to be morally wrong. The pros ecution of six executives of Volkswagen, including the head of engine development, indicate that Liang’s superiors were involved in this conspiracy from the beginning [2]. The most applicable maxim to this situation is â€Å"I shall fulfillShow MoreRelatedShort Paper 1: Volkswagen And Morality. Starting In 2006,983 Words   |  4 PagesShort Paper 1: Volkswagen and Morality Starting in 2006, James Liang began design on the EA 189 diesel engine. The EA 189 was advertised as a clean and fuel efficient engine, which unfortunately was a lie as it was not even remotely close to being clean. To sell the EA 189 engine in the United States, the engine had to pass an emissions test. James Liang knew that the engine would not even come close to passing the test; therefore, he and his fellow conspirators developed a device, called the dynamometerRead MoreThe Vs. Emission Testing1200 Words   |  5 PagesIn a modern society, people always face the dilemma to choose whether obey ethic standards or gain more profit. This problem is the much-debated one in that it affects everyone in their daily lives. Despite various responses, people may have on the topic that the Volkswagen engineer James Liang pleads guilty for his role in cheat U.S. emission test. Back to last year James Liang and his co-conspirators designed and implemented software for new â€Å"EA 189† diesel engine, to cheat the missions tests.Read MoreEthical Theories And Doctrines That Affects Companies Attitudes On Being Socially Responsible Or Not2425 Words   |  10 Pageskey ethical theories and doctrines that affects companies’ attitudes on being socially responsible or not. It will then attempt to establish a justification on the decision taken by the company through its CSR strategies. Two automotive companies, Volkswagen AG and Toyato Motor Corporation will be used to apply these theories and consider if they manage to meet the challenge of these competing interest. Several moral and ethical theories connected to public relations discourse have emerged to distinguishRead MoreCase Study : Management Theory And Practice1764 Words   |  8 PagesPractice Assessment item 3 Ethics, Leadership Decision Making Value: 45% Due date: 18-Oct-2015 Introduction The success of company goes beyond the scope of mere financial statements. Business culture, ethics and management values and ethics could impact business performants in the long term, â€Å"no matter the size, industry or level of profitability of an organisation, business ethics are one of the most important aspects of long-term success† (Trapp, 2014). Volkswagen is the biggest automobileRead MoreTo Cheat Is To â€Å"Gain An Advantage Over Or Deprive Of Something1035 Words   |  5 PagesTo cheat is to â€Å"gain an advantage over or deprive of something by using unfair or deceitful methods†(Simpson). This definition defines the actions of an experienced engineer named James Liang. His company of employment, Volkswagen, asked him and his team to make a new diesel engine that would sell well in America. Unfortunately, they ran into issues of making a design that would stay under U.S. emission standards. Under tight secrecy, Mr. Liang was looking to gain an advantage in working around theRead MoreAn Investigation Into The Volkswagen Emissions Scandal After Research Essay1636 Words   |  7 Pageslast year, there is an ongoing investigation into the Volkswagen emissions scandal after research indicated a large discrepancy in emissions during testing and road operation conditions on some of the company’s diesel engine vehicles.[1] On September 9, 2016, James Liang, an experienced Volkswagen engineer and head of the company’s Diesel Competence unit in the U.S., pleaded guilty to taking part in a fraudulent scheme to allow certain Volkswagen vehicles that violated emissions regulations to passRead MoreUtilitarian Analysis : The Volkswagen Dilemma1250 Words   |  5 Pages(1)(a): Utilitarian analysis Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory that judges an action on its outcomes and aims to maximize happiness. This means finding the action that generates the â€Å"greatest good for the greatest number†. The Volkswagen dilemma comprises whether it is ethically permissible to install the defeat device. Several stakeholders, mainly the manager, the costumers including consumers and dealers, the general public and shareholders, will be affected. Stakeholders PositiveRead MoreJames Liang And The Volkswagen Emission Scandal Essay1314 Words   |  6 PagesJames Liang and the Volkswagen Emission Scandal An Ethical Examination On September 9, 2016, a veteran engineer of Volkswagen AG by the name of James Robert Liang pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the government, committing wire fraud, and violating the U.S. Clean Air Act. While working in Germany in 2006, Liang was part of a team charged with producing a new fuel-efficient diesel engine that satisfied new U.S. regulations on vehicle emissions. He and his team eventually came toRead MoreEthical Review Of The 1971 Ford Pinto1139 Words   |  5 PagesMatthew Perezluha Paper #1 Business Ethics/MGMT-368 September 6, 2014 Ethical Review of the 1971 Ford Pinto In the mid to late 1960’s American automobile manufacturing was being dominated by Japanese imports. These imports, smaller in size than the domestic vehicles at the time, offered an economical and dependable alternative to what American automobiles offered. In order to remain competitive with these Japanese imports Ford chief executive officer Lee Iacoca instructed the Ford manufacturingRead MoreThe Safety Regulations Of The Automobile Industry1849 Words   |  8 Pagesevery vehicle. Within these safety regulations there is The Clean Air Act; an act to improve, strengthens, and accelerates programs for the prevention and abatement of air pollution. But we always had criminals breaking the rules of society. VW (Volkswagen) committed fraud by having their software engineers programing the onboard engine management module (ECM) in order to obtain higher profits. Of course they did not care about the consequences neither the harm they will be doing to every person

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Article Review On Three Stress Busters - 1716 Words

Three Stress Busters By Rich Clarke | Submitted On April 11, 2013 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest Expert Author Rich Clarke We live in a high paced, high stressed world. Most of us suffer from some sort of stress, myself included. Busy busy busy all of the time. Not even enough time to stop and take a deep breath and relax for a moment. Everyone working full time, longing for each day to be over so you can go home a rest, maybe with a glass†¦show more content†¦This represented a physical stress. The second rat was subjected to environmental stress. It was put in a cage on the roof of the building in the winter, each time the rat was close to freezing to death, the experimenter took the rat inside and let it warm up a little and then placed the rat back up on the cold rooftop. The third and unluckiest of rats, was subjected to emotional stress. They placed the rat inside a cage with a hungry cat. The cat was on a lead which didn t reach far enough for the cat to eat the rat, if the rat stayed in one place. Who thinks of these experiments!? In the interest of science and all that... The scientists measured the rats responses to the different types of stress and took samples from each of the animals, recording all the data. Which type of stress do you think was the worst? Have a guess... Physical - Environmental - Emotional This is what they found... The stress response was the SAME in all three tests. What does this mean to you and I? It means in a nutshell that you should not use a stress to reduce stress. Let me explain. I see so many stressed out people turn to exercise as a stress reliever. If you have emotional stress, let s say from a job you hate or a bad relationship, and you then decide to go to the gym and train hard after work to make yourself feel better. You will leave the gym with an exercise high from the endorphins and feel great,

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Venue Risk Analysis and Notion of Risk †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Venue Risk Analysis and Notion of Risk. Answer: Notion of Risk Risk can be defined as the potential of gaining or losing something. There are certain aspects or values which can be lost or gained due to an unforeseen event. These aspects include physical health, financial wealth, social status, or the emotional well-being of a person. The risk can occur due to a foreseen or unforeseen event. The risk can be defined as an interaction with the uncertainty. The uncertainty can be defined as an unpredictable, and uncontrollable outcome, whereas the risk is the consequence of the event due to uncertainty. Risk permeates the decision-making process of each person as it is an integral part of each individuals life, business outcomes and the society (McNeil, Frey, Embrechts, 2015). The risk identification and therisk management are an integral part of the decision-making process of an individual. However, there are different interpretations of the word in different circumstances. It can be critiqued that the notion of risk is inextricably linked with t he uncertainty. Certainty refers to an event wherein it is sure that some actions are going to happen or not. The imperfect predictability may occur in different situations. The uncertainty can cause emotional or physical anxiety which commonly occurs in uncertain and volatile situations. Most of the people avoid activities and approaches which are very risky (Chance, Brooks, 2015). However, if a person knows that a bad event is going to occur, it is not perceived as a risk. It is due to the fact that uncertainty is linked with the event of risk. A bad event will not be categorized as risk, if it does not have an uncertain element in it. It can be critiqued that although risk and uncertainty are quite similar to each other; however, there is a significant difference between both the terms. Risk is the combination of uncertainty as well as damage or some kind of loss. Risk is also different from hazard. Hazard can be referred as a source of danger. On the other hand, risk can be defined as the degree of probability of the loss. Hazard is the danger or the effect of a negative situation. Risk refers to the degree of the possibility of such a loss (Bessis, 2015). It refers to the likelihood of conversion of a source into an actual source of loss or injury. It can result in some form of damage to the people. The risk is relative to the observer of the incident. The phenomenon of risk is dependent upon observer of the event. Therefore, it is also referred to as, perceived risk. However, there is no absolute value of the risk as it is based on the probability (Heckmann, Comes Nickel, 2015). In order to control the impact of the risk, the business organizations use risk management strategies. The riskmanagement refers to the identification, evaluation and the prioritization of the risks so that they can be addressed in a proper manner. The riskmanagement strategies should follow coordinated activities to control the probability or the impact of the unfortunate events (Lam, 2014). The riskmanagement refers to the application of the economic and other resources to minimize, monitor, and control the impact of the unfortunate events. The purpose of the risk management is to assure that the uncertain event does not impact on the business or hinder the business goals. The risk can emerge from different sources, including the threats from the financial markets, legal issues, credit challenges, accidents or uncertain causes. There are several strategies to monitor and manage the threats. There are also certain aspects of risk management which includes monitoring risk, and developing strategies to control the impact of the risk. There are certain risk management approaches, which includes the prioritization process in which priority is given to different risk for the impact of the loss and the probability of the occurrence of the risk. In the practical terms, the probability of handling the risk is quite challenging, and; therefore, it becomes more challenging to balance the resources to mitigate the risk, so that, the probability and the occurrence of the risk can be reduced. The foremost challenge in the risk management is the allocation of the resources to different risk so that the risks can be handled in the best manner. The risk is the possibility of the occurrence of an event and adverse impacts on the life of the lives or the business goals. In the risk management, the risk identification is the f oremost step (McNeil, Frey Embrechts, 2015). The risk identification is the process of identifying the potential risk so that they can be managed in a proper manner. The risks refers to the events which can cause potential problems or benefits to the organization. The risk refers to the events which when triggered, can cause potential problems. The risk identification initiates with the exploring the source of the problems, the causes or the challenges in the problem itself. It can be critiqued that the source of the risk can be in internal or external. However, the target of the risk management is to mitigate the risk so that the factors of risk management can be applied (Slovic, 2016). In the next step, the problems pertaining to the risk are analyzed. The threats may exists with different entities; therefore, there exploration is important. It can be critiqued that when the problem or the source to the problem is not known, it creates challenges in the mitigation of the problem. Different companies or different people choose different methods to mitigate the risk. It can be stated that the chosen method to address the risk depends upon the culture, practices followed by the industry, and the compliance approaches used. Once the risks have been identified, they must be evaluated on the basis of the severity of the impact and the chances of occurrence. In the assessment procedure, it is important to make the well-informed decisions for the best implementation of the risk management plan. In the risk assessment, the fundamental difficulty is obtaining the statistical information related to the occurrence of the risk. It is due to the fact that all the information is not available regarding the past occurrence of the catastrophic events due to the infrequency in their occurrence (Blaikie, Cannon, Davis, Wisner, 2014). Other than that, the evaluation of the severity of the occurrence is also difficult as it is hard to evaluate the impact on the intangible resources of the organization. When a risk is identified, and the potential impact on the risk is evaluated, then the risk mitigation strategies are proposed to address the risk. There are several approaches or strategies to address the risk. However, all the major risk mitigation strategies can be categorized in one of the three categories. In the first category, the risk containment and control processes are included in the project from the initial stage. In the second strategy, the companies can periodically assess the risk, and modify the mitigation approaches to deal with the risk. The third strategy is to transfer the risk altogether to an external place. Therefore, the potential measures for the treatment if the risk are: avoidance, reduction, sharing, and retention of the risk. In the risk avoidance, the organization or the entity avoids the activities, which can invite the risk. It is the process in which these activities are not carried out, which can invite the risk. Another strategy is risk reduction ( Acharya, Pedersen, Philippon, Richardson, 2017). It is the process of optimizing the risk so that the severity of the loss can be reduced. In this process, likelihood of occurrence of the risk can also be reduced. In this method, the risk is optimized. It means that a balance is found between negative risk and the benefits of the operations of activity. The risk sharing is the process of sharing the burden of the risk with an external party. It reduces the burden of loss or profit from the risk. In several cases, it is a significant measure to reduce the impact of the risk. It is also known as risk transfer which can be used to transfer the risk to another party. The risk retention is accepting the likelihood of the occurrence of the risk. In this strategy, the organization bears the loss, which may arise with the risk (Haimes, 2015). The risk retention is an appropriate strategy, which can be used to incur small risks. All the risks, which cannot be avoided or transferred has to be tolerated by the organization. Venue Risk Analysis The venue risk analysis refers to the risk analysis of a venue or place in which some events are organized. These events include conference, sports, concerts, meetings, or weddings. When a venue is designed, there are several negative and positive impacts of the design of the venue on the operations of the venue. Therefore, it is important that the business managers analyze the venue in terms of design, risk, and security. The hazards pertaining to the design can occur at any given time; therefore, it is important to address the risk. The risk analysis of the venue has a significant role in handling the overall operations of the organization. It assists the managers in managing the venue in terms of facility and the risk (Suter II, 2016). The managers should identify corrective measures regarding then quality of service. It assists in identifying the risks and proposing strategies to address the situation. The risk ranking system The risk ranking system or the tool refers to a system which can be used to identify and gives priority to the risks. The risks are given propriety depending upon their likelihood and severity of impact. The risks with the highest priority should dealt first, as they can severely damage the tangible or the intangible property of the organization. In the present case, a risk ranking system has been formed with different factors, namely, event of the likelihood of the risk, time of impact, financial severity, reputation severity, and the human injury severity. It is a significant tool which can be used to list the potential risk as per their impact on the organization as well as assist in identifying the controls which can be used to address the risk (Haimes, 2015). A likert scale has been developed for the evaluation of the risk. Scale Meaning 5-Severe A severe risk is an event in which the risk will have a severe impact on the organization. The risk will hinder the organization in achieving the critical outcomes of organization 4-Significant The significant risk are those risks, which will impact the organization in achieving the desired results. It can hinder the organization in achieving one of more intended objectives 3-Moderate The moderate risks are those which will moderately impact on achieving the desired results of the organization. It will fall below the minimal acceptable levels of the organization. 2-Minor A minor risk event is one, in which the risk might have a significant impact on achieving the desired results. It impacts the organization such that, one or more intended objectives fall below the goals; however, it is in an achievable level 1-Minimal The minimal risk event is one in which the risk has little to no impact on the intended outcomes of the organization S. No. Risk Probability of Occurrence Impact of Risk Mitigation Strategies 1 Height of shelf falling of bar tender 3 (probability of occurrence is moderate as the bartender can fall frequently while collecting products from upper shelf) 4 (The impact is significant as it can result in heavy injury to the bar tender) Appropriate ladder or foot steps should be constructed to address the situation (control of risk) Insuring the bartender (transfer of risk) 2 Misbalancing of chairs (the chairs bought are not in ideal conditions and they are not balancing on the ground) 4 (probability of occurrence is significant as the guests can fall off their chair frequently) 3 (probability of occurrence is moderate as there will not be any severe damage to the human lives). However, it can create a negative impact on the reputation of the organization The organization should buy new chairs (control) 3 Lack of disability access 4- probability of occurrence is significant It can cause severe damage to the reputation of the organization 3- moderate level of risk It can cause severe damage to the reputation of the organization The inflow of the customers will be low The customers with disability will not be able to attend the restaurant The organization should construct new access or route to the restaurant for the disabled people. A ramp can be created. Long with it, separate toilets or restrooms can be created for the handicapped people. (control) 4 High level of competition 4- Probability of occurrence is significant as the restaurant is constructed in one of the major business areas. Regularly new restaurants and eating areas are opened in the near vicinity. Although these restaurants are selling different menu or dishes, there is a significant loss in the market share of the organization 4- Probability of occurrence is significant as the company losses a large number of customers Create a unique brand image and offer high quality products. The restaurant can also initiate offers, discounts or loyalty coupons. (control) 5 Blockage of Emergency exit 3-It is a moderate level of risk as the frequency of occurrence of severe accidents is very low 5- It is a severe risk as severe hazards such as fire and earthquakes can have a severe impact on the building It can cause severe damage to the human lives, if these exists are blocked Changing the internal infrastructure so that these emergency blocks can be reduced (control) 6 Lack of lighting as many LED bulbs are not working 5-the frequency of the risk is high 2-it will have minor impact on the organization Changing the lighting of the organization as soon as possible (control) 7 Smoke detectors and sprinklers are not in good workable conditions 4- the frequency of the risk is significant 5-the impact of the risk is severe as the fire accidents can cause severe impact on the organization Implementing new smoke detectors in good quality 8 The entrance and the emergency exit of the restaurant are not in working conditions 4- the frequency of the risk is significant 5-the impact of the risk is severe as the accidents can cause severe impact on the organization Changing the infrastructure of the organization 9 Floor is not in ideal condition which can cause reputation damage to the organization 2- the frequency of the risk is minor 4-the impact of the risk is significant as the fire accidents can cause severe impact on the brand organization Changing the flooring of the organization References Acharya, V. V., Pedersen, L. H., Philippon, T., Richardson, M. (2017). Measuring systemic risk.The Review of Financial Studies,30(1), 2-47. Bessis, J. (2015).Risk management in banking. John Wiley Sons. Blaikie, P., Cannon, T., Davis, I., Wisner, B. (2014).At risk: natural hazards, people's vulnerability and disasters. Routledge. Chance, D. M., Brooks, R. (2015).Introduction to derivatives and risk management. Cengage Learning. Flemig, S., Osborne, S., Brandsen, T., van Genugten, M. L., Mele, V., Mikusova Merickova, B., Nemec, J. (2015). Risk Definition and Risk Governance in Social Innovation Processes: A comparative case study across 4 EU-countries. Haimes, Y. Y. (2015).Risk modeling, assessment, and management. John Wiley Sons. Heckmann, I., Comes, T., Nickel, S. (2015). A critical review on supply chain riskDefinition, measure and modeling.Omega,52, 119-132. Lam, J. (2014).Enterprise risk management: from incentives to controls. John Wiley Sons. McNeil, A. J., Frey, R., Embrechts, P. (2015).Quantitative risk management: Concepts, techniques and tools. Princeton university press. McNeil, A. J., Frey, R., Embrechts, P. (2015).Quantitative risk management: Concepts, techniques and tools. Princeton university press. Slovic, P. (2016).The perception of risk. Routledge. Suter II, G. W. (2016).Ecological risk assessment. CRC press.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Literary Achievements Essays - Literature, Fiction, Gilded Age

Literary Achievements A brief personal history and overview of literary achievements The cultural advancement of the 1920's has many important literary figures associated with it. Names such as T.S. Elliot, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald are some of the better-known names. Edith Wharton is one of the less known of the period, but is still a formidable writer. This paper will explore Ms. Wharton's life and history and give a brief background surrounding some of her more popular novels. Ms. Wharton was born Edith Newbold Jones on January 24, 1862, in her parents' mansion and West Twenty-Third Street in New York City. Her mother, Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander, connected with wealthy Dutch landowners and merchants of the early nineteenth century, was the granddaughter of an outstanding American Revolutionary War patriot, General Ebenezer Stevens. After the war, General Stevens became a very successful East-India merchant. Edith Wharton's father, a man of considerable, private, inherited wealth, did not follow a career in business. Rather, he lived a life of leisure, punctuated by his hobbies of sea fishing, boat racing, and wildfowl shooting (activities typical of wealthy men of the day). During her first few years, Edith Wharton's family alternated between New York City in the winter and Newport, Rhode Island, in the summer. At the time, Newport was a very fashionable place where New York City families of wealth might enjoy ocean breezes and participate in a ro! und of tea and inner parties, the leaving of calling cards, and constant preparations for entertaining or being entertained. When she was four years old, her parents took her on a tour of Europe, concentrating on Italy and France. She became as familiar with Rome and Paris as most children are with their hometowns. It was here that the small, red-headed child played her favorite game. Not yet able to read, she carried around with her a large volume of Washington Irving's stories of old Spain, The Alhambra. Holding the Book carefully, often upside down, she proceeded to turn the pages and to read aloud "make up" stories as she went along. Whereas most children of her age would be told the familiar old folk and fairy tales of Anderson, Perrault, and the Brothers Grimm, she listened with great delight to tales of the "domestic dramas" of the great Greek and Roman gods of mythology. The young child rapidly learned to read, speak, and write German, French, and Italian, as a result of the efforts of governess and the extended family tours of France and Italy. Returning to America after an absence of sex years in picturesque Europe, the ten-year-old Edith viewed New York City with mixed feelings. She missed the glamour of Europe; she was distressed with the busy commercial air of much of her home city; she was delighted to join her relatives and friends on a rambling family estate at Newport. Here she continued her study of modern languages and proper manners. However, she had to return to her father's in New York, where she spent her time perusing his library and immersing herself in the likes of Roman Plutarch and the English Macaulay, the English Pepys and Evelyn and the French Madame de Sevigne; the poets, Milton, Burns and Byron, as well as Scott, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, and Elizabeth Barrat Browning. With these writers as her models and inspiration, young Edith Wharton began to cover huge sheets of wrapping paper with her own prose and verse. Edith's family and the families of most of her friends were not "in business": they lived on their incomes and investments, living leisurely lives of dining out or dinner going with much emphasis on good cooking, and sparkling conversation. Once in a while, they attended the theatre; the opera, seldom. When she was seventeen, Edith's parents decided the time had arrived for her "coming out." The series of social activities that indicated to the world that she was adult enough to be invited to social entertainment without her parents as chaperones. Soon, she joined her father and mother to another trip to Europe - this time for her father's health. He died in France, when Edith was nineteen years old, and the grief-stricken mother and daughter returned to New York City. There they moved into a newly purchased house on West Twenty-Fifth Street. For several years, Edith enjoyed the social life of an average young woman of her wealth and social background; then her girlhood came ! to an end in 1885 with her marriage to Edward Wharton of Boston. Thirteen years her senior,