Social responsibility Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Social responsibility - Research Paper Example Usually social responsibility measures are assigned to a small group or an individual, often within the human resources management department. Employees tasked to carry out this responsibility have to focus on social subject matters in three primary domains (Anderson 15): 1. Total compliance with international, federal, state, and local legislative laws and acts; 2. Moral and ethical standards and procedures under which the firm will operate; and 3. Philanthropic giving Most business organizations face challenges in developing and implementing socially responsible measures. Still, all businesses should consider and participate in this area. To function without serious losses or disruptions, a business should always fulfill their legal obligations. It should formulate, execute, and monitor moral and ethical guidelines for all members of the organization. In the philanthropic domain, where there is greater freedom of activities in where, when, and how the company should plan about and resolve numerous issues before creating just and practical course of action (Clegg & Rhodes 57). With more involved citizens and government, social responsibility has continued to receive much attention and popularity over the recent years (McShane & Steen 105). Social responsibility will keep on demanding more effort, time, and resources. Skilled and diverse management is needed in all the domains of social responsibility. Businesses, the government, and society should team up more strongly in the future if major developments are to be achieved in the area of social responsibility. What is Social Responsibility? The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is usually associated with related concepts like stakeholder management, corporate social responsiveness, and corporate citizenship. All these concepts refer to a company’s responsibilities outside its main purpose that involves generating a profit (Blackburn, Doran, & Shrader 195). A primary reason for the multifa ceted nature of CSR is that it binds society and business. It requires no extensive study to understand the different debates over social responsibility occurring across society. Two major concepts appear to be vital to the understanding of social responsibility, namely sustainability and responsibility (Clegg & Rhodes 53). Sustainability is a standard concept on the external and internal environment as regards intangible and tangible resources. Intangible resources, such as skills and knowledge, must be recognized and developed. Tangible resources, such as oil and raw materials, should be utilized with precise care and, preferably, substituted by alternatives and reused (Anderson 18-20). It is in the interest of the company to thoroughly care for the pooled intangible and tangible resources and to manifest this in its operations. On the other hand, responsibility today implies not just economic, but also environmental and social responsibility. Companies are persuaded to surpass th e economic perspective and consider a broader framework. This challenge may be viewed as indirect or direct societal demands to integrate environmental and social principles into business activities (Anderson 24). In recent times, it has become somewhat widespread to define this responsibility as CSR.

FOOD Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

FOOD - Research Paper Example Starting simple could mean inviting neighbors and friends to a simple dinner or meal using local products; or it could also mean assigning days within a week to focus on consuming local produce. Trying to connect with local farmers would necessitate going around the locality and finding out what products are being sourced from farms and which could be availed easily. Likewise, one could even try to grow simple vegetables in one’s backyard; which was also noted to be, not only healthy; but also therapeutic. And finally, the effort of implementing a local diet in one’s lifestyle should not be made in stressful environment. One must simply enjoy discovering local farms and products and be able to savor the local produce which could be incorporated in one’s daily meal. Are there farmers' markets in your area? There is actually a Farmers Market in one’s area in New Jersey; which is specifically located in South Jersey, just 20 minutes away from Philadelphia, Pe nnsylvania. All vegetables are therefore bought from the Farmers Market. Where is the nearest community supported agriculture farm (CSA)? The state of New Jersey has a lot of community supported agriculture (CSA) farm located in the following counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Salem, Sussex, and Warren (State of New Jersey: Department of Agriculture, 2013). The names, contact information, and addresses are found in the State of New Jersey’s Department of Agriculture official website. How could you encourage others to eat local? Other people could be encouraged to eat local by promoting the various benefits that could be gained from this move. From among the noted benefits, the following are noteworthy: (1) greater opportunities to lose weight; (2) savoring new flavor sensations; (3) being able to heighten awareness through learning more about local products (Priebe, 2011); (4) fresher and he althier foods; (5) learn more about food from the people who grew them; (6) contributes to lesser environmental impact through lessening of carbon footprint through travelling less, consumer lesser gas, lesser wear and tear of roads; and (7) supports the community through the revenues generated from local purchases (Shea, 2008). Global Food Crisis After reading the article, "Global Food Crisis" from this unit's studies, do you feel the U.S. ethanol fuel program is adding to the world food crisis? One is convinced that the arguments exposed by Gawain Kripke, the Senior Policy Adviser for Oxfam America is more convincing regarding the effect of the ethanol fuel program on the global food crisis. Kripke’s detailed explanation that production of ethanol is apparently significantly contributory to driving food prices up due to the increased use of corn for the production of ethanol is more viable and believable (Kripke, 2008). As compared to the arguments presented by Rick Tolman, the CEO of the National Association of Corn Growers, Kripke assumed a more unbiased stance at looking at the issue. Tolman could have protected the

Why does the EU rely so much on policy networks to make its political Essay

Why does the EU rely so much on policy networks to make its political system function - Essay Example Policy changes have taken place only with the consent of the group. Interest groups have always favored state bureaucracies maintaining stable relationships with the groups. Hence policy networks have helped the policy makers fulfill their procedural ambitions and obtain a ‘negotiated order’ For this reasons even after decades of formulation, these policies for the functioning of political system continue to exist (Mazey & Richardson, 2001).The paper intends to trace out the possible reasons behind EU’s everlasting reliance on policy networks for managing the political system thereby addressing the background and importance of these policy networks. The European Union EU operating for 50 years possesses a unique background. Under the co-decision procedure the Council consisting of all member states works with the European Parliament for budget formulation and other decisions. Overall, the decision making body contains EU Council, Parliament and the European Commis sion. The legislations for EU comprises of Primary legislation influencing daily lives of member countries’ citizens and Secondary legislation containing directives, regulations and also certain recommendations. The decision based upon majority votes, can be simple or qualified, depending entirely on the addressed issue (Mazey & Richardson, 2001). It appears that the structure of the EU displaying behavioral traits and functioning is very different from the regular or traditional ones found in most other organizations (How does the EU work, 2008). State bureaucrats display efficiency in framing policies under the scope of their limited capacities and available information. The users who are served by these bureaucrats extend a high degree of external support to the political system on obtaining their desired benefits. Thus favoritism and institutional factors act behind decision making (Mazey & Richardson, 2001). Evolvement of European Political System: Horizontal and Vertica l Over the years the European Union has developed a well governed and stable political system. An efficient government operates within the state with concentration of power at the center. Member countries like France, Britain and Sweden are known to possess an ideal political system. Decentralization has been the key to governance. It has always witnessed sharing of political power among large number of actors (Buxbaum, 1996, pp. 14-16). Policies framed under EU governance are concerned with regulation of markets. This has been noticed for environmental and social policies of EU which helps in preventing market failures. The budgetary policies have dealt with compensating potential losers who lose out in market integration. The adoption of a single currency has been aimed towards regulating markets. It has attempted creation and regulation of a single market. The Maastricht Treaty of 1993 has attempted to bring about economic and political union. Viewed form a vertical dimension EU can be termed as a regulatory state. From horizontal perspective it has acted as a hyper consensus government (Buxbaum, 1996, p. 16). The total policy making process has been divided between the governmental head in the European Council and Commission resulting in efficient allocation of power among the EU institutions. Political leadership has been rotational among the member countries. Such a governance framework has led to rising power of the European parliament. Under this multilevel EU framework, networks have helped to improve regulations in the areas of energy, transport and telecommunications. Background for policy networks

Totaltarian Regimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Totaltarian Regimes - Essay Example In addition, totalitarianism is considered as a system of rule guided by an ideology whose perspective is geared on achieving a certain favorable political, social, and economic end by guiding every aspect of society to that goal with the use, to some extent, of "propaganda and terror"(Pleuger, "Totalitarianism," par.2). The system is also described as "both a form of social control as well as a method of social control" facilitated by advancement of technology and mass communication (Keis, "The Age of Totalitarianism," par. 10). Within the context of those definitions mentioned above that our discussion of totalitarianism will be based. In discussing history of totalitarianism, we do not consider intensively the birth of the concept of totalitarianism but we look into regimes that fit into the character as described by scholars as it occurred in history. We look deeper into what are the motives of totalitarian leadership and its impact on the society. By definition, it can be inferred that like any other form of governments, the system, by the perspective of the rulers, is anchored on the goal of total development for the country. Whether the approach would benefit a select few at the expense of other sector the concept of total development would likewise benefit the entire society. Taking violence, war, and human rights abuse and violations out of context, we can see that development brought by totalitarianism is highly considerable as shown by Russia's might in the Cold War era, the totalitarian monarchies in the Arabian region, and China's rise to economic dominance in the present times. Most totalitarian regimes with autocratic leadership hold on to power by imposing an official ideology upon its people. The master plan is laid and facilitated by controlling all means of mass media and information systems. There is only one political party which in some case becomes an alter ego of the leader and the exercise of free well and freedom of speech is being suppressed. Critics are subject to intense surveillance and executions are frequent with the use of strong police and military backing. All these are utilized to achieve the goals of the leadership. Dirty as it can be described, however, in dealing with totalitarian regimes it is argued that totalitarianism is different from authoritarianism although most totalitarian regimes are governed by authoritarians and dictators, but which is not always the case. Monarchy can be considered totalitarian but the role of a king is not as intimidating as a dictator. Of course, this point had its share of arguments in the past and is also a point of controversy in political science today. But looking at the present times we can see that monarchies rule in the principle of totalitarianism yet democratic processes are being recognized like the case of Britain, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and the other present day monarchies. This argument is the reason why the term totalitarian democracy emerged. Therefore we consider the brutal totalitarian regimes as a manifestation of extremism within the totalitarian concept. History of Totalitarianism Within

Relationship between western European countries and others Essay

Relationship between western European countries and others - Essay Example Relationship between western European countries and others The European countries, thus, looked down on China since they were at a better position in the industrialization sector, despite China’s size, wealth and high population. John Barrow, the writer of Travels in China contributed to how different writers and citizens of Western Europe thought about China. He made them view their country as superior, because, he reasoned that although in the past China was more developed, the Western Europe in the 1800s had grown to be more industrialized and had advanced more in technology. He emphasized that the education offered in Western Europe was of higher quality than in China because the Chinese did not learn algebra, Chemistry and geometry. The decline of the Qing dynasty, economic growth and China’s defeat by the western powers seemed to reinforce the thought that the country was better than China. The British realized that China’s military had not developed during the opium war due to use of smoke and lack of expertise in using firearms. This led to a more degraded image of China. Although China had invented the compass, gunpowder and printers, it did not advance on these new inventions. Their lack of admitting that the Europe was more developed and; therefore, declining to embrace the technological change, showed China’s inability to embrace change.James Mill, a writer of the History of British India book influenced greatly how the western Europeans viewed the Indians. Basing his argument on Scotsmann Grant views, he argued that the Indians were deficient in education, technology, science, civilization and medicine.2. He argued that although Indians had invented handcraft, there was little advancement made in improving their inventory2. Their poor learning systems did not involve teaching of sciences e.g. anatomy and their teachings in mathematics were not fit for any civilized person. There was belittlement of the Indians discoveries in the mining of iron ore. They described the activity as negligible because it carried out on small scale. They considered it destructive and imperfectly done. There was ridicule on the cotton textiles the Indians produced. The character traits associated to them were dishonesty and morally decayed2. The collapse of the Mughal Empire emphasized these traits together with their lack of masculinity. Although Indians had built buildings similar to the Europeans, the Europeans still considered India barbaric and uncivilized due to lack of roads and pipes. However, this made them pass the lowest set social development stage by the Europeans. The Europeans called the Indians barbaric because of the medicine they took, which they said was not fit for the civilized. Mill created an impression that the Indians were unwise because they spent their time playing chess and hunting tigers unlike the Britons who spent their time and resources in trading and developing their empires. They had poor military weapons as compared to the British although the Europeans did not take into consideration that Indians adopted the Europeans training methods and arms. The thinking of the Western Europeans as better than the other countries made it gain more power and superiority in the world. Europeans based their superiority on how righteous a country was in terms of religion in the past, but this changed

Roles, Responsibilities and Boundaries in Teaching Case Study

Roles, Responsibilities and Boundaries in Teaching - Case Study Example Teachers are also governed by boundaries. Boundaries are usually driven by social ethics. Boundaries, roles and responsibilities are qualities within which a teacher’s operations are assessed. Their success in their work is usually reflected by their teaching or training cycle. Generally, teachers should provide a communication means with students in which they find it easy and efficient to communicate and relate to the topics in the study course. The responsibilities and roles vary with time and results from assessments. Results and recommendations from prior assessments are incorporated in the development of new teaching skills and responsibilities. According to Wallace (2007), teachers should have the role of creating a safe learning environment and establishing open and trust relationships with learners. By recording results and assessments, it helps a teacher to keep an update on the changes among the learners which may be useful in setting future objectives and aims (Bid well, 2001). Teachers should take up the role of identifying the need of both the institution and learner. After identification, they should come up with a working framework that suits a learner efficiently and within the stipulated needs of the institutions. The working framework should also be according to the syllabus. Identifying of needs also gives the recommendations on individual or group learning for specific students.

Human resources Corporate culture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human resources Corporate culture - Assignment Example I have seen that the Theory X managers are usually very quick to reach conclusions and are usually wrong in their assumptions but this is not the case with the Theory Y managers who take their time to understand things and then decide for their own selves what the best course of action is (Papa, Daniels, & Spiker, 2008). As far as the assumptions of human nature and standards of behavior within the contexts of influencing organizational cultures are concerned, I have witnessed that the organizational culture is usually backed up with an understanding of the human natures which are spread across the domains of an organization. This also means that the standards of behavior bring about different influences within the making up of the organizational culture which is something very significant indeed. I have seen assumptions of human nature and standards of behavior being at the behest of bringing about significant changes in the course of the human resources management regimes in an org anization. This is because people react differently within varied scenarios and it is important to comprehend such circumstances. Human nature is something that shapes up the entire discussion of the organizational culture and it is about time that one comprehends the true implications of the same.