Author: chris

Culture and Organisation

Introduction

Organisational culture is an amalgamation of the beliefs and core values of the people in that specific organisation. This culture could be felt in the implicit expectations, rules and behaviour in an organisation whereby even though the stipulations or rules are not jotted down, employees understand what they are supposed to do or expected of them. In most instances, organisational culture   is established by the management and its policy decisions. The beliefs and core values of an organisation enhance organisational goals (Roberts, 1982, 55). Therefore, organisational culture is a key element in determining its performance.

The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the multidimensional necessity of culture on  an organizational. One of the reviews employed in this study is that of Josserand et all (2012) Being an Active Member of a Corporate Alumni Network: a Critical Appraisal, whereby the authors observed in their “Alumni networks” (former employees of a focus firm) how the bureaucratic management behaviors influence individual’s subject even after leaving the company.

We also use the focus in Rosen’s, ‘You asked for it: Christmas at the bosses’ expense, to evaluate how the different aspects in the story,  annual picnics,  Christian parties, yearly company meetings and so on assist in defining the concept of an organisation. Bolden and golden, (2006) on the other hand will assist us in figuring out how competency of leaders influences an organisation either positively or negatively.  Finally, Almeida et al (2012) will give us an insight on how the  influences of the behaviour of employers especially in recruiting immigrant employees trigger an organisational culture.

Organisations and Culture

Ultimately, human beings are social animals.  This because they possess an inherent desire to connect with one another and at some degree, to assist each other. A study conducted by Josserand et al (2012) was meant to examine how people continue to produce their own subjectivities after them leaving their place of employment and provide meaning to this aspect. This study was based on a qualitative approach, whereby they interviewed active members of a multinational organisation’s network of alumni. The researchers identified a maximum of five interpretive repertoires including the family, best in class, business case, giving back and continuous evaluation through which the alumni members based their justification for the active involvement in the network of alumni and their relation to the organization community even after leaving it.

The authors of the study noted that not only does the alumni discipline what people are but also what they do. Alumni networks could act as strong technology of power reproducing employees’ subjectivation in the required time span and space after their employment in the organization expires. The study provided an insight concerning the employee’s aspect of subjectivation. It established the strength of subjugation and its ability to rise above the organizational, spatial as well as temporal frontiers. After a number of years when they leave the company, the former employees at  Soap&co interviewed by the study were still found to be connected to the organization  in a seemingly never ending  exercise of realizing  their self actualization. From an individual’s perspective, this translates that the discourse leaves a mark on a particular person’s identity in the long run.

Contrasting these observations, Courpasson, (2012) on the other hand, opines that, many bureaucracies are in existence in the present perspective.  He argues that many stakeholders in various organisations have developed a certain type of resistance to the management. These bureaucracies according to him are in most cases likely to develop towards a polyarchic forms. The author further argues that the responses of the managers are responsible for this aspect of transformed bureaucracies through an accommodative process.

The humanistic approach of managing values is considered to be flexible, assigning responsibility and independence to various workgroups in an organisation. The culture technique as portrayed through an attempt of Ford at social media propaganda and instillation of corporate culture is rather parochial. This is because; they both seek productivity by using a technique of appealing to the employee’s psyche, in solving the agency issues.  This motivation seems to be deeper than that of a dominated employee. The synchronisation of values and views enhances the fulfilment of these needs including the belonging and self actualisation needs, and the self esteem. These aspect increases the connection of employees at their work stations. In addition, social connection and self definition becomes intrinsically dependant on the firm (Rosen, 2007, 463).

Knight (1982) observes that the necessary clarity and sentiments of obligations with regard to the moral standards of an organization are ultimately derived from employee’s discussions of issues related to morality as well as the shared agreements on the constituents of proper behaviour (p50). What he means here is that organizational culture influences individual behaviour in a particular organization. The management   of an organization   should establish a culture that is geared towards continuous improvement of that company as well as employees performance style.  As   Parker (1999) portrays in his South Park episode, employee’s behaviour are greatly influenced by the type of culture an organization harbours. Employees’ behaviour is influenced as a consequence of   perceptions and behaviours   to the various jobs in organization. Therefore, we can rightly say that organizational culture influences employee’s effectiveness, efficiency and motivation in their working.  This behaviour in turn influences their interactions with people outside the organization.

Little attention has been paid to factors influencing employers on how they recruit their employees, especially in respect of immigrants. Almeida et al (2012) conducted a study on how employers in Australia were influenced by organisation based factors in their recruitment processes. Findings of this study established that employers were not basically motivated by the lens of the human capital during this recruitment process.  Some of the main factors could negatively or positively influence these employers. Some of the factors include type, size, resource, and availability, and ethnic diversity, size of organisation, industry culture and the style of management. The findings were backed by those conducted by Booth et all (2010) that was aimed to measure the rate of discrimination in the labour market in Australia.  The methodology used was to apply an entry level employment and submitting a CV to employment agencies indicating that the applicant had attended a college in Australia. The study established significant variations in the rate of call backs. Applicants from the ethnic minority side needed to apply for more jobs so as to receive the same number of interviews with the rest.

Bolden and golden, (2006) derives evidence from other studies to indicate that the main predictors that impact the leadership qualities in an organisation include:  opportunities for constructive feedback (that is used to assist in creating reflection and self awareness for the employees).  Other key predictors include integration with organisations strategy and systems, facilitation, support   from the management both before and after the intervention. Herman, (2007) writes that “all human motivation should be regarded as a channel by which individuals’ needs would be satisfied”. It is the intrinsic product of bringing up various levels of the Agentic state” .This being a state of almost full obedience gained from submission to authority (Herman, 2007, p. 135-152).

 

Conclusion

One pervasive characteristic distinguishing modern life from those in the ancient times   is the dominance of large complex and formalised organisations.  The modern person is felt in all aspects of an organisation.  A person is born into this organisation; he or she lives in there, works for it and dies in this organisation.  They are in essence inevitable in the day today life of all human beings. Organisations are not established over a vacuum but in an explicit cultural environment ( Parker, 1999).

 

Reference List

Almeida, S., Fernando, M. & Sheridan, A. 2012, ‘Revealing thescreening: Organisational factors

influencing the recruitment of immigrantprofessionals’, The International Journal of

Human  Resource Management, vol. 23,no. 9, pp. 1950-65.

Brewis, J. 2007, ‘Culture’, in D. Knights & H. Willmott (eds), Introducing organizational behaviour and

Management, Thomson Learning, London, pp. 344-74.

Herman, S. 2007, ‘Leadership training in a “not-leadership” society’, Journal of Management Education,

vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 151-5.

Booth, A., Leigh, A. & Varganova, E. 2010, ‘Does racial and ethnic discrimination vary across

minority groups? Evidence from a field experiment, Discussion paper Series, DP No.

4947, Institute for              the Study of Labor, Bonn.

Bolden, R. & Gosling, J. 2006, ‘Leadership competencies: Time to change the tune?’, Leadership,

vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 147-63.
Courpasson, D. & Clegg, S.R. 2012, ‘The polyarchic organization: Internal contention in the

workplace   and the construction of a new political structure’, in, Research in the

sociology of organizations,  merald, Bingley, UK, pp. 55-80

Josserand, E., Villesèche, F. & Bardon, T. 2012, ‘Being an active member of a corporate alumnus

network:  A critical appraisal’, paper presented to the British Academy of Management, Cardif, UK

Knights, D. & Roberts, J. 1982, ‘The power of organization or the organization of power?’,

Organization   Studies, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 47-63

Parker, M. 1999, Organizational culture and identity: Unity and division at work, Sage, London

Rosen, M. 2007, ‘You asked for it: Christmas at the bosses’expense’, Journal of Management

Studies, vol.    25, no. 5, pp. 463-80.
 

Toyota Company Analysis

Executive Summary

This paper covers the history of Toyota, its international strategy, its marketing approach, logistics approach and its human resource strategy. In many instances, the analysis for these elements has been used to decide the practicality of letting Toyota to set base in our country. Upon some critical analysis, some of the benefits expected after allowing Toyota to operate from our country include creating a source of employment for the country’s citizens, the increase in revenue collection for the government through taxation procedures, the development of infrastructure, promotion of local activities such as agriculture, and creation of self employment through affordable vehicles. However, the risk that has been noted for allowing Toyota to operate from our country is the threat to future automobile investors. After a careful consideration, the government has therefore been advised to allow the entry of Toyota into the country.

Company Description

Toyota Company was founded in 1937 by Sakichi Toyoda as a family business. Its headquarters is in Tokyo Japan but has many affiliates around the world. Some of the main affiliates are in USA, Europe, Asia Pacific, and China. Toyota is the third largest automobile company in the world in terms of profits and it has more than 240,000 employees. Generally, the main products for Toyota are automobiles as they contribute the largest returns in profit. In the global market, the company is quite successful and has been recording high profits as a result of the many vehicles it sells annually. In the first 9 months of 2011, the company had a net income of 382,785 million yen while in 2012 the net income was 162, 525 million yen for the same period[1].

Company’s International Strategy

Like other multinational companies, Toyota uses transnational strategy to reach out to the global market. That is to say, the utilization of the transnational strategy is done in order to compete with the international competitors such as GM and Ford.

In cost reduction and quality improvement, Toyota has been improving tremendously in order to differentiate its products in the international market. As a result, the company has expanded into developed markets such as USA, Europe, Japan as well as emerging markets such as China, India, Russia, and Brazil[2]. In addition, the international strategy reduces cost of transportation as products are taken closer to consumers.

For the purpose of quality enhancement, Toyota has R&D bases overseas in countries such as USA and Belgium among others. Furthermore, there are also many assembly plants in its affiliates in other countries across the world. To succeed in the market, the company applies an international strategy of building vehicles that meet the demands of individual markets. As a customer attraction strategy, Toyota has established knowledge centers where the public can learn more on the company products.

Due to its application of the international strategy, Toyota is a successful company that has been reporting consistent profits over the years.  Its entry into the American market was a well-calculated move since the company sells more cars and trucks in North America than in Japan. Among its global profits, 60% are collected from North America due to the high demand of trucks and SUVs. Due to its entry into the US market, Toyota has become vulnerable to some of the main competitors such a GM. With this in mind, the GM Company was presented with an opportunity to observe and scrutinize the Toyota’s approach to manufacturing especially the Kanban system and its relationship with suppliers. This has seen GM and Ford improve their brands and productivity in recent years and hence closing the leading gap enjoyed by Toyota.

Company’s Marketing Approach

Toyota markets its products in diverse parts of the globe. In relation to this, the marketing strategy used by this company varies in different countries where it sells its vehicles. To convince its market target, the company showcases its high quality vehicles that are sold at affordable prices. Over the years, Toyota has been designing vehicles to satisfy various regions with more attention being on satisfying local demand. By using this approach, there are some cars that are only offered in certain regions based on their popularity or demand. Additionally, the prices of the Toyota vehicles vary in different countries depending on the economic situation of those countries. In this regard, the US market is particularly popular with Sport Utility Vehicles while the same vehicles are not popular in Europe[3]. Unlike the SUVs, the cars in the European market are designed to be used in cities and hence the demand for land cruisers is relatively low in Europe. It is significant to note that the prices for the Toyota products are meant to meet consumer expectations and hence a Toyota Land cruiser costs more in France than in USA.

In order to capture the diverse market, the Toyota’s head offices located in various countries are responsible of carrying out their own promotions to draw more customers and increase the sales. However, the country head offices may decide to introduce discounts as a promotional strategy or advertise their products as a marketing strategy.

Company’s Logistics Approach

Toyota’s main production plants for its vehicles are located in Japan, USA, Europe, Asia Pacific, and China. In the USA, the product planning, vehicle engineering and evaluation is done by the Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.  These plants are located in Arizona, Michigan, California, and Washington D.C.  On a different application, the Calty Design Research Inc, that is located in California and Michigan, deals with exterior, interior, and color design.

In Japan, the Head Office Technical Center deals with product planning, design, vehicle engineering and evaluation. In the contrary, the Higashi-Fuji Technical Center deals with advanced engineering while advanced designs are done at Tokyo Design Research & Laboratory[4]..

It is worth noting that, Toyota chose USA as a major operation base is due to the huge potential for the consumption of its products. The high population in USA and the development in technology provide a favorable platform for mass production of vehicles. The country is also politically stable and has a high growth in economy. All these factors are necessary for the sustainability of Toyota products in USA and other countries.

Company’s Human Resource Management Approach

Toyota treats its employees as the most valuable asset in the company. This is because, the company believes the growth of personnel should be guided by communication of ethics and ideology. One of the basic principles of Toyota’s employment system is the mutual trust between employees and management. This mutual trust was adopted from the Labor Management Joint Declaration of 1962[5]. In order to safeguard the fundamental principle in labor management, Toyota adheres to the basic principles of human resource management.

In addition, Toyota offers stable employment that avoids unnecessary layoffs and terminations as a way of promoting the mutual trust between the management and the employees. Equally true, is that the management system at Toyota aims to maximize employees’ abilities, creativity, and skills. This is achieved through effective human resource management that is regarded as a significant asset to the company. Additionally, termination of human resources not only hinders maximization of employees’ abilities but also damages relationship of trust.

As a matter of fact, Toyota considers communication to be an effective approach for maintaining a healthy work force. To enhance this, the company provides numerous chances for discussions between management and labor. Moreover, the company also conducts regular surveys to monitor employee morale and job satisfaction. In a study conducted in 2004, 83% of the 19,000 Toyota employees who were interviewed responded to be happy with the working conditions in the company[6]. One aspect that contributed to this was that the company considers the relationship with the employees’ families to be a critical aspect and has therefore established a family oriented website referred to as Toyota Fami-net to promote communication between the company and the employees’ families.

It is equally important to note that, Toyota invests heavily in human resource development by conducting training for employees to enhance their skills in problem solving techniques. In the same token, the company also conducts training for improving the managerial skills for managers and offers global training for employees in its overseas affiliates. In another exchange program, the company allows inter-company transfers where employees from overseas affiliates are allowed at its headquarters in Japan for two years.

To further emphasize the value of its human resource, Toyota revised the contracts of employees in 2004 by extending the duration for temporary employees from one year to three years[7]. Since then, the company has continued to develop the working conditions for its employees in order to have secure human resources to spearhead its objectives.

Summary

One of the benefits of allowing Toyota to operate in our country will be the increased access to affordable vehicles in the local market. This will be supported by the company’s strategy to promote the local brands where the prices for their products will be influenced by the economic situation in our country. When people are able to access high quality vehicles at low prices, the country will benefit through economic growth that might be experienced through transportation. Good vehicles will support agricultural activities such as transporting of farm products to the market using Toyota trucks or pickups.

Another benefit is that, the entry of the Toyota market is also likely to be a source of business for many people. In addition, the investors willing to start transport business will have a better opportunity to venture into business and hence boost the local economy.

Lastly, the establishment of the Toyota Company in our country will be a source of employment for the local population. This will contribute towards lowering the rate of unemployment which will be a positive economic indicator. Due to the increased rate of employment, the government is expected to benefit directly by taxing the permanent employees. This will eventually lead to increased revenue collection for the government. Increased revenue collection may also lead to better services from the government such as infrastructure development and provision of basic services that include health facilities.

Although every investment has its own disadvantages, the only risk of allowing Toyota in our country will be the threat to the small industries.  Again, the country’s future likelihood of starting a local company for vehicle manufacture will be minimized due to the dominance of the Toyota Company in the automobile industry. Similarly, the presence of the Toyota Company in our country may also scare away other automobile companies who wish to establish their businesses here.

Conclusion

In final consideration, the entry of Toyota in our country will create employment to the people as they will be working in the local plants. Besides that, the government is also likely to collect more revenue from the taxation procedures for the new company and tax collection from the permanent employees. Furthermore, the country’s economy may experience positive growth due to the development of infrastructure. In the same way, the local business will be promoted due to the ease in transport and the availability of affordable vehicles that can be a source of self-employment. However, the presence of the company may scare other automobile companies planning to invest in the country in future. In regard to this, the country is therefore recommended to allow the entry of the Toyota into the local market since there are more benefits than risks. Nevertheless, the government should however ensure that Toyota meets all the regulations required for new investors.

 

 

Notes

1. Borowski Arkadi. Report on the Toyota Company. (New York: GRIN Verlag, 2012), 27.
2. Hino, S. Inside the Mind of Toyota: Management Principles for Enduring Growth. (London: Productivity Press, 2006), 76.
3. Doole Isobel and Lowe Robin. Strategic Marketing: Decisions in Global Marketing. (Michigan: Cengage Learning, 2005), 38.
4. Ferrel Odies and Hartline Michael. Marketing Strategy. (New York: Cengage Learning, 2010), 108.
5. Hill, C. International Business: Competing In the Global Marketplace. (New York: McGraw-Hill International, 2009), 47.
6. Peng Mike. Global Strategy. (California: Cengage Learning, 2008), 29.
7. Womack James, Jones Daniel, and Roos Daniel. The Machine That Changed the World. (New York: Macmillan, 2010), 145.

 

Admissions

The reason why I decided to apply for an MBA at Claremont Graduate University is because it offers one an opportunity to experience a wide range of MBA programs. Students can enroll for the full-time MBA where all the classes are held at the campus. A fully Employed MBA is also available for the students who wish to study and work at the same time. This gives students a chance to earn as they study and can use the income to pay for their study fees. Claremont Graduate University also encourages professionals to enroll for MBA programs by providing the executive MBA program where courses are offered in the evenings and in the weekends. The university also makes arrangements for the MBA students to study abroad as a way of preparing them for the global market (Claremont University 6).  For instance, the executive MBA students can be sent to Oxford University in UK to study global strategy and trade during their summer. During the spring break, they can be sent to Costa Rica to learn business and sustainability. The full time MBA students are also given a chance to attend exchange programs with partner schools in Switzerland, Netherlands, and Japan.

University of San Diego is another place that I would like to study for my MBA. USD offers a two-year MBA program where students are taught exhaustively and gain close interaction with their lectures since the classes are small. USD faculty of MBA applies various learning strategies that include case studies, and field projects.  To ensure that students gain the mastery of business tools and theories, the MBA program at USD utilizes simulations. The full-time MBA students are given a chance to take their elective courses in the evening together with the International MBA and the Evening MBA programs (USD 9). This provides the students with an opportunity to interact with others and exchange learning ideas. In addition, the University of San Diego offers International Dual Degree Programs that facilitate the MBA students to acquire another MBA from a different university. The international Dual Degree Programs give MBA students an opportunity to study for one year in USD and another one year in Germany or Mexico. In addition to the MBA and IMBA from USD, the students also receive MBA in Finance or Marketing from Tec in Mexico or an MBA from WHU in Germany. The international dual-degrees are made possible because the selected institutions accept course work from each other.

Another place that I would like to be considered for an MBA is Pepperdine University. This institution goes a step beyond offering a traditional Executive MBA, by offering the Presidents and Key Executives (PKE) MBA. PKE MBA is tailor-made for top level executives who have responsibilities of making strategic decisions to forge their organizations ahead (Pepperdine 12).  This is a program of its kind that pays attention not only to the financial aspects of management but also on a person’s development as a leader. To ensure that students relate to the principle of this special MBA, the university hires talented business leaders from various industries who inspire the students to be focused leaders. As a result of studying the PKE MBA, students graduate when they have gained appropriate managerial skills that can be applied to their places of work. Indeed, this contributes towards refining the role of leaders in the society.

Enrolling for an MBA at the University of California Riverside (UCR), will also be an added advantage for me as students have an opportunity to enroll for the Flex MBA. In this MBA program, at the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management, students are allowed to study according to their own schedule. The program is flexible and convenience and requires students to complete only 80 units (UCR 5). The Flex MBA may be completed within a period of 20 months or in several years depending on student’s schedule. Students have a choice to attend evening classes or the weekend classes giving ample time for the part-time students to concentrate on their work.

I would also like to send my application for an MBA at The Loyola Marymount University. Their MBA program offers students a chance to be part of the 28 Jesuit Universities and hence benefit from the universal principles of Jesuit education. The LMU MBA Transfer Network gives students a unique chance when they need to relocate or transfer to other US cities even before completing their MBAs. The Jesuit Transfer Network enables the students to complete their degree requirements in one of the partner universities (LMU 4). This type of partnership enables LMU MBA students to accept job promotions even when they will be required to relocate to other cities. Students may also be forced to relocate to other cities due to family issues such as marriage but if they are at LMU they will not have to interrupt their MBA studies. For the part-time students who work with organizations that require them to attend to projects in different regions in America, LMU MBA would be the best choice for their studies.

 

Works Cited

Claremont University. MBA Program. Retreived from  http://www.cgu.edu/pages/1.asp on 21st March 2013.

LMU. MBA Program. Retrieved from http://www.lmu.edu/ on 21st March 2013.
Pepperdine. MBA Program. Retrieved from http://www.pepperdine.edu/ on 21st March 2013.
UCR. MBA Program. Retreived from http://www.ucr.edu/ on 21st March 2013.

USD. MBA Program. Retrieved from http://www.sandiego.edu/ on 21st March 2013.

 

THEMED ESSAY

Introduction

The environment provides human beings with all their needs for survival. Moreover, the continuity of the human race, which is ensured through procreation, is entirely dependent on the resources provided by the environment. In the recent past, the rate of resource consumption by people has surpassed the levels the environment can cater for sustainably (Howell, 2010). This means that if people continue using natural resources at this rate, the resources will become depleted soon, putting the lives of future generations at stake. Other human activities have indirectly contributed to the degradation of the environment, which limits the capacity of the earth to support life in perpetuity. The increase in human needs has led to more quest to exploit resources from the environment. Different economic models such as capitalism that have been adopted by various countries and their corporations have contributed to the increased competition. The competition has led corporations to consume resources without due consideration about their impact on the environment. This hunger for mass production has been driven by the belief that human needs supersede those of the environment. However, this notion tends to represent the egocentric nature of the current generation as it has no regard for future generations. Moreover, the resources consumption disregards the fact that other living things depends on the environment for their survival. Therefore, the claim that human needs are more important than those of the environment is misplaced and misguided.

The claim that environmental needs are less important than human needs does not hold any credibility in view of the current human consumption and environmental degradation. The increased vigor with which people are currently consuming resources to produces consumer products indicates the dependency of all human beings on the providence of the environment (Hall and Lobina, 2004). Without the environment, the so called important human needs can never be satisfied. A comparison between human and environmental needs can elaborate which needs depend on which. The environment does not depend on human needs to exist, but rather human needs depend on the environment. Basic human needs such as shelter, food and clothing depend on the environment for their fulfillment. Industries that consume raw material from the environment would cease to exist if the environment was unable to provide the raw materials (Carasco and Singh, 2008). Following this heavy dependency of human needs on the environment, environmental needs should be prioritized so that they can continue supporting human needs. Those who view human needs as more important than environmental needs utilize an aspect of the utilitarian theory that states that the ethical action is that which maximizes utility. This view, therefore, encourages people to utilize the environment to the best of their ability for their personal satisfaction. This view is dangerous to the sustainability of the environment and the resources it offers for human needs consumption. When people are in the quest of satisfying their needs, their priorities are usually misplaced. Their only target is to maximize their utility. Therefore, they do not mind about their actions’ impact on the environment. Consequently, the environment becomes degraded and is unable to cater for the needs of the species living on earth. Therefore, prioritizing environmental needs is the best of way of ensuring that the secondary needs, which are human in nature, are sustained and future generations are assured of a good future. The current human needs not to strain the environment if it were not for their greedy nature. A close analysis of the motive that drives the increased consumption needs is in accordance with the individual consumption theory (Howell, 2008). This theory asserts that consumption is driven by needs that are internally produced by both cognitive and psychological processes. Since the needs are individually motivated, ethics are limited to play a major role in regulating the massive consumption of resources. Ethics relates to how people consider others when making decisions and taking certain steps. The individualistic nature outlined by the individual choice theory provides little chance for the application ethical principles. Consequently, human beings tend to disregard the ethics that require them to consider other users of the environment, both currently and in the future.

Environmental needs are more important because they take care of the common good of the majority as compared to the human needs, which are mostly motivated by individual quest for personal achievement and satisfaction (Banerjee, 2008). Allowing personal human needs to bear more importance than environmental needs would lead to more extravagant use of the environment, which would inconvenience other living things that depend on the on the environment for their survival. Every living thing, including animals and human beings procreate with the hopes of perpetuating their kind into the future. This means that the future generations are as important as the current generation.  However, the selfish nature of human beings in the current generation has simply prioritized their personal consumption at the expense of the future generation. According to the utilitarian ethics, an action should be considered acceptable if it reduces suffering and increases happiness. Degrading the environment in pursuit of happiness short-term would increase suffering for future generations instead of enhancing their happiness. Therefore, prioritizing environmental needs instead of human needs would be the best ethical decision. Ethical absolutism asserts that ethical principles can be determined objectively through rationality (Chen, 2011). Moreover, it argues that ethical principles can be applied universally in a variety of settings. Following this ethical perspective, environmental needs importance can be determined universally, through examining the effects of excessive use of resources from the environment. In any place on the surface of the earth, the effects of using environmental resources excessively are the same (Scott, 2007). For instance, the effects of cutting down trees lead to desertification irrespective of where trees are cut down. Those who argue that human needs are the priority assert that maximizing the resources in the environment with little regard for the environment leads to happiness and reduces suffering. However, this view has a weak argument because the happiness is short-lived since the future generations will suffer for a long time

Apart from over-using natural resources, human activities lead to environmental degradation through pollution. The human activities that lead to pollution are similar to those that are caused excessive use of natural resources from the environment. However, the pollution process is an indirect consequence of the human quest for maximizing their utility. Most of the environmental pollution that occurs on the surface of the earth results from industrial processes that produce non-food related products (Sibao and Huaer, 2009). The industrial processes are, therefore, aimed at meeting secondary human needs and not the primary needs, the secondary needs are those that seek esteem and status in the society. The effects of the pollution on the environment are so massive that the need for safeguarding the environment in relation to human needs becomes obvious. First, accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes global warming (José, 2009). The global warming leads to melting of glaciers at the Polar region-ns that leads to raising sea levels. Consequently, many islands sink, displacing people and may cause deaths. Such effect that results from environmental pollution indicates the importance of meeting the needs of the environment. Those who favor human needs over environmental needs argue that the code of ethics followed by various organizations limit the pollution of the environment. However, the code of ethics are never followed strictly because regulations to enforce them are either weak or absent (Meehan and Richards, 2006).

Conclusion

Environmental needs are important compared to those of the human being because of various reasons. The first reason is that human needs are dependent on environmental. Without taking care of environmental needs, no human needs can be satisfied. Secondly, the human needs that demands to be prioritized are not primary needs, but secondary needs. Compared to the impact of these human needs on the environment and their value to the human life, environmental needs should be given consideration first. The environmental pollution caused by human activities actually leads to more harm than good to many people than the little good achieved through the industrial processes. Since future generations need the environment as well as the current generation, its needs should be given priority to ensure life’s sustainability.

 

Reference List

Banerjee, S.B. 2008. ‘Corporate Social Responsibility: The good, the Bad and the ugly’, Critical Socialogy, Vol. 34, no. 51, pp. 1-30.

Carasco, F.E., & Singh, J.B. 2008.‘Human rights in global business ethics codes’, Business and society review, Vol. 113, no. 3, pp. 347-374.

Chen, C.H. 2011. “The major components of corporate social responsibility”, Journal of Global Responsibility, Vol. 2, no.1, pp.85 – 99.

Hall, D., & Lobina, E. 2004. ‘Private and public interests in water and energy’, Natural resources Forum, Vol. 28, pp. 268-277.

Howell, R. 2010.’Choosing Ethical Theories and principles and applying them to the question: Should the seas be owned?’, International journal of transdisciplinary research, Vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-28.

Howell, R. 2008. ‘Globalization and the good corporation: Whither socially responsible investment’, Human systems management, Vol. 27, pp. 243-253.

José R. P. 2009. “A valuation model for corporate social responsibility”, Social Responsibility Journal, Vol. 5, no. 3, pp.284 – 299.

Meehan, J., & Richards, A. 2006. “Corporate social responsibility: the 3C-SR model”, International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 33, no. 5/6, pp.386 – 398.

Scott, S. 2007. “Corporate Social Responsibility and the Fetter of Profitability”, Social Responsibility Journal, Vol. 5, no. 3, pp.300 – 303.

Sibao, S., & Huaer, C. 2009. “Economic globalization and the construction of China’s corporate social responsibility”, International Journal of Law and Management, Vol. 51, no. 3, pp.134 – 138.

Introduction to Nursing Arts & Sciences

Introduction

In the daily operation, nurses face different ethical decisions situations that range from routine vaccination to issues relating to dying and death. It is essential that these nurses have knowledge on how to analyze these bioethical issues based on nursing ethical values, facts, principles to be able to make ethical decisions about their duties and responsibilities. This will also help support their patients and families as they struggle with understanding application of ethical decisions.

PART A

Moral aspects/issues in the scenario

The scenario has various moral issues that require to be addressed. One of the moral issue concerns the decision whether to save the life of Matt or not. The family members are of the view that, their son can be saved from death while the physician has given up on the same.  Matt is in a very critical state, as his brain has stopped working, his dark blood is visible in the suctioning canister. This indicates that indeed he is at risk of dying. However, amidst all these, he is unable to express his will. Despite this, family members are optimistic that he can survive and therefore there is no need for the physicians to end his life and therefore have refused to assign him a “do not resuscitate’. Furthermore, the physician refusal to abide by the directive of the family members to ensure that the patient life is not terminated is a moral issue, as the physician does not want the patient to have any further resuscitation. It is also a moral question for the nurse to state that she dislikes taking care for drug abuse patients and yet that is her duty to enhance the health of patients.

In this case, the ownership of the situation was the family members. This is captured in the case, “the family told the healthcare team that they wanted to do everything possible to save their son’s life”. This indicates that the family had the last decision of the end of life decision. Even though Matt was in a critical condition, they were the only people to give directive on the next decision to be taken and there decision was to ensure that all assistance was provided to ensure that their son was saved.  Furthermore, the family members refused to assign “Do not resuscitate” status after being approached. Therefore, this is a clear indication that the family members owned the situation and was supposed to make the last decision.

The five essential nursing values that suit this scenario include; altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity and social justice.  Altruism means that the nurses should aspire to do well and be concerned with other people issues (Andre, 2002). Therefore, the nurses should put in their best in restoring Matt life. They should also have autonomy in the sense that they should put on a spirited heart to save the life of Matt. They should also has human dignity by respecting the uniqueness of the patient, should have integrity by being honest and acting in accordance to the code of ethics and standards and practice. Lastly, the nurses should have a sense of social justice by working to ensure that there is equal treatment and equal accessibility to quality healthcare.  The scenario in which the nurse expression her dislike to attend to drug patients should not have arisen. The nurse has the moral duty to use her professional qualifications to serve all patients without discrimination. Therefore, these five values are of importance in ensuring that appropriate services are provided that adheres to ethical standards.

 

PART B

Analysis of two bio-ethical issues in the scenario in relation to ethical theory

One of the ethical issues in the scenario is the wish of the family members and that of the physician.  The family refused to assign DNR despite the physician’s advice and the physician’s decision to make Matt a DNR over the objections of the family.  The second bio-ethical issue concerns the nurse. The nurse is torn apart whether to support the family on DNR or the physician who has contrary thought otherwise. To address these issues in depth the theory of Deontology by Kantianism will act as guidance. The theory provides direction on determining what is rational and what is not. The will and reason should also come into play in making decisions. An individual is also required to do that which is required by being consistent and avoiding self-contradictory policies since people are evaluated on what they do.  This theory also seeks to differentiate between what is good and bad.  Doing good is brought by doing the right action.  Therefore, right is a basic notion and people need to have a positive attitude towards doing or acting according to ones moral duty (Curtis, 2011). Therefore, this theory relates to this situation especially when it comes to making the right decision of end of life care.  Physicians in the case had an obligation to choose from what was good and right from what was not right. The physician had the duty and moral obligation to act in ethical manner by coming up with the right decision that would be in tandem with the wish of the patient. He therefore, chose to stop to give further resuscitation after learning that their family members had failed to assign DNR.  The physician therefore failed to adhere to ethics by refusing to abide by the wishes of the family members. Refusing to provide resuscitation was against the law. In the second case of the nurse, there was also lapse in adherence to ethics.  It is the moral duty of the nurse to make appropriate decisions concerning end of life decisions. Therefore, the nurse would have supported the family members, as this was the right way to go because she could have acted in moral way. Abiding by the directive of the manager and physicians indicates that she failed to act in a moral way. The physicians also breached ethical standards by failing to adhere to the wishes of the family who were the owners of the situation.

One of the applicable law that would have enabled this case to be handled well is if uniform rights of the terminally II Act law was adhered to (Saunders 2010). This law was formulated in 1985 and revised in 1989. United States of America recommends it as a Uniform Act. The law gives authority to an individual to declare a living will, which clearly states that in circumstance that he or she does not wish to remain alive in case of a coma, terminal ill or through support life, and then the physicians can take away the patient’s life.   Therefore, had Matt declared this living will then the end of life decision would have gone on smoothly. Furthermore, the law allows a patient to obtain a health care known as power of attorney, which allows appointment of an agent that is required to make medical decisions for the patient incase the patient becomes incompetent. Hence, if  Matt had obtained the power of attorney then this problems of end of life decisions would not have surfaced as the uniform rights of the terminally II Act law could have been used.

PART C

Discussion of how alternative actions might have affected the patient outcome

The patient outcome could have been affected through Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) interventions.  This is because there were no written physician orders that deterred performance of CPR (Bishop, Brothers, Perry & Ahmad, 2010).  CPR interventions could have   helped to extend the life of the patient. Further alternative action in this scenario would be to use the agency laws and policies. For instance, the agencies policies that concerns mechanisms for safer transfer of care by agency or providers should have been adopted.  In such a case DNR decisions has ethical conflicts and the best way is to transfer the patient (Matt) to another nurse or physician that is competent to take care of the patient (Matt). This alternative action could have provided hope of recovery as another physician could have used his skills and experience to safe his life as the level of skills and knowledge among physicians varies. An ethics committee is yet another appropriate alternative action that suits this case. The committee will come up with deliberations after investigating on the breaches of adherence to ethical standards by physicians and nurses in their conduct and therefore they will have to come up with alternative solutions such as looking for another physician to provide treatment to the patient. Such alternative course of actions would have provided hope for resuscitation because of the different levels of skills of physicians. The family members would also been in peace and in harmony with the decision hence disputes between them and the physicians would not have ensued anymore.

American Nurses Association codes of ethics (ANA) are helpful in understanding how these alternatives could have impacted on the patient’s outcomes. American Nurses Association code of ethics is composed of provisions that guide the behavior and the way nurses need to behave during their service delivery. The nurses at all the time are required to appear professional in their service delivery and relationships with patients. Therefore, they have a duty to always save the lives of their patients; they are also required to be always committed to their patient’s, community and groups to ensure that they improve their health status (Michael, 2010). They also need to have integrity when carrying out their roles. Furthermore, they need to collaborate with other nurses and patients to ensure that they provide the best services. Therefore, in case of a situation that requires an appropriate decision they need to help physicians with ideas on the ways of solving problems (American Nurses Association 2011). Hence, as stipulated in the American Nurses Association, nurses have the responsibility of impacting positively on the end of life care by being professional and upholding to high level of integrity among other important values.

References

Andre, J. (2002), Bioethics as Practice, Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina     Press,

American Nurses Association (ANA). (2011). Codes of ethics. Retrieved from:             http://www.nursingworld.org/Mobile/Code-of-Ethics

Bishop, J., Brothers, K., Perry, J., & Ahmad, A. (2010). Reviving the conversation around            CPR/DNR. American Journal of Bioethics, 10(1), 61–67.

Curtis, B. (2011). Ethical Theories Compared. Retrievd form: Ethical Theories Compared

Hayry, M. et al (Eds.) (2010). Arguments and Analysis in Bioethics. Amsterdam/New York:          Rodopi

Michael, D. (2010). The role of the American nurses association code of ethical decision making. Retrieved from: http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/static?pageid=864590

Saunders, L. (2010). Legal and ethical issues in health care Occupations (Aiken) Pg 6