Standard Oil And The Largest Petroleum Products Company

In 1870 John D. Rockefeller started Standard Oil Co. and it quickly became the largest petroleum products company in the world. By 1890 Standard controlled 90 percent of refined oil in the United States and was sued by the state of Ohio for its anticompetitive practices. Standard Oil of Ohio which was its original name simply broke the company into 41 separate companies, and controlled them through the new Standard Oil Trust, legally known as Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey. Because there were no federal laws prohibiting anticompetitive behavior in business Standard Oil was able to avoid any serious repercussions from the government. Standard Oil achieved market dominance by undercutting the competition, arranging special deals with railroads, and aggressively buying out its competition. Between 1902 and 1904 the writer Ida Tarbell, the daughter of a failed oil businessman whose company went under because of Standard Oils practices, wrote a 19-part investigational report into the prac tices of Standard Oil. These articles led to the wide spread public outcry for the government to do something about Standard Oil and monopolies in all other industries. In 1911 Standard Oil was sued by the United States and the case reached the Supreme Court. Under the Sherman Act the government alleged Standard Oil was a monopoly and abused its monopolistic power to restrain trade through predatory pricing and unfair deals with railroad companies. Standard Oil cut oil prices severely in areasShow MoreRelatedExxon Mobil Corporation : An Energy Company Essay940 Words   |  4 PagesTexas. Exxon Mobil Corporation is an energy company that explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas. 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From an economics standpoint, Algeria operates almost identical to the United States having thereRead MoreIndustry Analysis : Tesoro Corporation Essay868 Words   |  4 PagesCorporation operates in the Oil and Gas Refining and Marketing sector within the United States. This is actually a sub-industry, making up ten percent of Oil, Gas, and Consumable Fuels, which is—generally speaking—on e of several sectors of the energy industry. The industry codes for Petroleum Refining are 2911 (SIC) and 324110 (NAICS). The way firms generate revenue in this industry is by purchasing crude oil for a low price, refining it, and then selling the product for a higher price, primarilyRead MoreOil Gas Industry: Past, Present and Future1663 Words   |  7 Pages|Oil Gas Industry:Past, Present and Future Sudha Singh At Independence, India s domestic oil production was just 250,000 tones per annum. The entire production was from one state-Assam. 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ExxonMobil is known as one of the world s largest companies by revenue, and the second largest publicly traded company by marketRead MoreBritish Petroleum1639 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The Anglo-Persian Oil Company which is now known as British Petroleum (BP) was founded in 1909 and is one of the world’s leading international gas and oil companies. The multinational British company’s headquarters is located in London, United Kingdom and is one of the five largest oil companies in the world. The pioneer of the Middle Eastern oil industry, BP discovered oil in Iran before World War I and eventually became involved in all aspects of the oil industry, from exploration toRead MoreOpec Case Study1516 Words   |  7 PagesNaik 5) Koshy John 2) Anup Nair 4) Prashant Lohade 6) Smita Meshram What is OPEC? 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It would later become Standard Oil Company of California (SoCal) after acquiring Pacific Oil Company in 1926. 10 years later, the SoCal joined forces with The Texas Company (a predecessor to Texaco) and formed Caltex Group of Companies, in order to manage interest sRead MoreIndian Oil Industry Is The Backbone Of A Modern Economy1017 Words   |  5 PagesThe oil refining industry is the backbone of a modern economy (Senevirante, 2006). Refined petroleum product remain fundamental to our economic life – in everybody’s daily life and economic activities of a nation (Wauquier and Favennec, 2001) ranging from domestic cooking to transportation, employment, etc. In terms of the refining capacity India ranks eighth in the world (U.S. EIA 2009). The private sector owns about 38% of total capacity while the public sector owns the rest. End of 2013, IndiaRead MoreStrategic Management Analysis of Saudi Aramco Ltd.1671 Words   |  7 PagesMBA Course: Strategic Management. Section: A. 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Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Not Be Legalized

Performance enhancing drugs should not be legalized ‘Olympic track star Marion Jones was sentenced in a federal court to six months in prison.’ (Kelly and Rao, 2008) The reason why Jones was guilty is because of the use of performance enhancing drugs since 1999. More and more famous athletes prove to have used banned drugs to enhance their performance. At the same time, the role that the anti-doping agency is more and more important in the world wide games, such as Olympic Game, Tour de France. Nowadays, whether the performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) should be legalized has sparked a heated debate. However, the use of PEDs is morally wrong and it should be banned in sports. This essay will demonstrate three main points which explain the†¦show more content†¦The athletes who use drugs are cheating. They disobey the law and escape the punishment due to the advanced technology which makes it harder to detect the drugs. So, more and more athletes choose to improve their performance by this way. Furthermore, athletes show no respect to themselves and spectators if they take in drugs before the competition. Maybe they do not believe that they have the ability to achieve good results after hard training or can not bear the pressure of failure due to less training. What the spectators want to see is the real ability of the athletes though they also want to watch excellent competitions. In addition, the athletes who use drugs will never experience the joy and fun during the competitions and training. For the athletes who want to use drugs in games, what they are thinking about is only the medals, awards and money, they never really think of the significance of sports so they cannot enjoy the process of the competitions and training. Thirdly, many serious side effects and health risks are involved with using PEDs. The benefits of these drugs are really not worth the risks. ‘It is already known that steroids cause liver damage, heart attacks and strokes.’ (Mirkin, 2007) What’s worse, these drugs harm not only the athletes themselves but also harm their children. Mirkin (2007) said that, through a study on the children of the athletes who use PEDs, ‘more than 25 percent hadShow MoreRelatedPerformance Enhancing Drugs ( Peds ) Should Not Be Legalized Essay1481 Words   |  6 Pagesused performance enhancing drugs. Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) have been used in sports for many years, and there use is one of the most important issues among professional athletes. These drugs are detrimental to the human body physically and mentally. These athletes also serve as role models, influencing the younger generation by presenting that’s it acceptable to cheat no matter the consequences. S o with all to consider and the evidence that is available, performance enhancing drugs (PEDs)Read MoreThe Legalization Of Steroids Should Be Beneficial For The World Of Sport1226 Words   |  5 PagesSteroids seem to to be having a negative view for much of history. Steroids are drugs used by athletes to become stronger and achieve a strong physique. Steroids are illegal and are strongly discouraged to be used and may be seen first expressed during high school with the introduction of organized sport teams. The perspective against the legalization of steroids believes in the many benefits of legalization. The perspective for the legalization of steroid expresses the harmful effects of steroidsRead MoreEssay Steroid Legalization Rebuttal811 Words   |  4 Pagesthat to level the playing field of professional sports it would be beneficial to legalize the use of performance enhancing drugs. Mr. Smith’s ideals that professional sports would be a fairer, more entertaining versi on of itself if performance enhancing drugs were legal, is an incredibly irresponsible and impudent declaration. Mr. Smith states â€Å"The primary reason why performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) are outlawed in professional sports is that they give users an unfair advantage over the restRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs : Steroids, Androstenedione, And Ephedra Alkaloids996 Words   |  4 PagesPerformance Enhancing Drugs In today’s world, sports have become more and more about winning than the game itself. Success within sports not only comes with status, but popularity and fame as well. The want and need to succeed in athletics has driven great athletes to take illegal measures to give themselves an edge over their competition. Performance enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids, androstenedione, and ephedra alkaloids are all used by athletes to take the shortcut to success and bypassRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs is a Global Issue972 Words   |  4 PagesA major issue in today’s world is drug in sport. The reason why drug in sport is a global issue is because many athletes in the world use performance enhancing drugs and influence others to use these drugs because of their success. An issue is a disagreement between two or more parties in a public forum. Many people disagree with others about the topic, ‘Drug in sport.’ Some people believe that performance enhanc ing drugs make sport far more interesting and competitive. They believe this becauseRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Banned1645 Words   |  7 Pagesrules by using performance enhancing drugs each year. Performance enhancing drugs help athletes to becomes bigger, faster, and overall better at their individual sport. This process is called doping. Doping can be defined as using drugs and various substances to better perform at a particular task. Furthermore, these athletes act in the moment and fail to see all aspects of these performance enhancing drugs. Contradictorily, some individuals argue that performance enhancing drugs should in fact be allowedRead MoreSports Athletes Should Not Be Banned993 Words   |  4 Pagesin athletics has driven great athletes to take illegal measures to give themselves an edge over their competition. Performance enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids, androstenedione, and ephedra alkaloids are all used by athletes to take the shortc ut to success and bypass all the hard work that success takes. Although performance enhancing drugs do enhance an athlete’s performance, at the same time they do more harm than good to the human body. Some of these side effects include hypertension,Read MoreSay No to Doping!1042 Words   |  4 Pagesfailed the drug test (Cashmore) . Ellis Cashmore, a professor of culture, media, and sports at Staffordshire University in the United Kingdom, through his article, â€Å"Making Sense of Sports† , came up with an argument that drug should be allowed in sports. In the article, he effectively countered the argument of some people out there that taking drug will lead to the unfair competition. As we are from the generation who are never bored of seeking the best in human ability, the usage of drug is crucialRead MoreShould Athletes Gain An Unfair Advantage By Using Performance Enhancing Drugs?935 Words   |  4 PagesThe health risks that come along with using performance enhancing drugs are one reason why they should be illegal. Along with them being very dangerous, the health effects are also not very good on the body. â€Å"Diuretics are drugs that change your body s natural balance of fluids and salts (electrolytes) and can lead to dehydration† (mayo clinic). Some athletes use stimulants to arouse the central nervous system and increase heart rate and blood pressure. â€Å"Stimulants can: improve endurance, reduceRead MoreWhy Do Scandalous Lawsuits Involving Athletes Abusing Substances Keep Popping Up?976 Words   |  4 Pagesfurther athletes’ skills beyond human levels so ostracized? Doping is the practice of using steroids and other illegal substances to boost performance in sports and athletics. The debate of the morality of such substances has been going on for decades and continues to affect the world of sports in many ways. At the moment, steroids and all other performance-enhancing drugs are banned in their entirety from n early all sports in most countries of the world. Scandalous lawsuits involving athletes abusing substances

Enhancing Employability in Marketing Free Essays

string(211) " its network are able to gain valuable insight into the track record on current or previous roles of a candidate and thereby avoid the rigor associated with screening for appropriate candidates \(Jacoby 2005\)\." Introduction In my 12-month Sandwich Year placement, I was engaged as a Brand Assistant at Fisher Outdoor and Leisure Limited located in St Albans, Hertfordshire, East of England. The company is one of UK’s leading distributors in the cycling industry supplying cycles, accessories, components and apparel into the UK cycle trade. Its product range consists of over 30 industry-leading brands, a strong range of services, and spares essential to specialist cycle retailers and a range of house brands available in its nationwide network of stockists. We will write a custom essay sample on Enhancing Employability in Marketing or any similar topic only for you Order Now My duties at the company as a Brand Assistant position were inclusive of communication, corporate brand development, market analysis, operations and brand specific activities. With regard to communication, my job entailed assisting the company’s marketing communications manager to ensure the maintenance of strong communication with trade customers through regular contact and correspondence. It also entailed working closely with Fisher Outdoor Leisure’s brand management team in ensuring timely and consistent communication of brand messages both digital and print which required conversance with the social media platforms, and delivery of general trade events and conferences sometimes with overnight or weekend stays. Also part of my engagement was Corporate Brand development in which I assisted with sponsorship and charity events which are part of the company’s marketing strategy, ensuring that sponsorship plans were agreed upon in a timely manner and delivered effectively to achieve optimum brand coverage while maximizing cost effectiveness. My duties also entailed the production and supply of all corporate/cross-brand Point-of-Sale, collateral and catalogue to customers that served to enhance the brand presence. The Marketing and Advertising field requires extensive market analysis and awareness of general market trends and developments as well as trends in the Marketing/Advertising industry (Burgess 2006). The aim in marketing is to create an enhanced presence and to ensure consistent communications through effective designs of advertising campaigns and experiences (Ataman 2008). Success in this field requires an up to date understanding of the market place including the activities of the main competitors and appropriate feedback. The current trends in the Marketing/ Advertising industry include advancements in the social media and online presence including mobile (Delre 2007). The social media and online sphere is fast growing marketing platform which comprises companies enhancing their branded online destinations and experiences so as to meet customer need. Marketing on the web entails the creation of quality content adding value to conversations and breaking the noise of clutter online, gauging consumer opinions and reputation on the web and through social media, as well as, building a reliable base of brand advocates through quality connections of Twitter followers, Facebook friends, blog subscribers, and LinkedIn connections with brand loyalists rather than large groups of unreliable connections (KTTLC report 2012). Current trends also include co-marketing in which various brands allied in a particular field come together in marketing campaigns such as consumer, trade and press events for mutual benefit. Complementary businesses create partnerships which enable them to benefit from economies of scale, and enables increased exposure to new audiences (Gruber 2004). Also included among current trends are in-store merchandising which include posters, branding, brochures, product displays and the securing of valuable shop floor space for merchandise; in-house expos that are used to showcase product portfolio and entire brand to trade and press; product placements in movies, sitcoms, games and other media; direct marketing and public relations; and outdoor media campaigns targeting key commuter areas and areas with greater potential consumer reach which result in increased web traffic and enquiries by consumers (KTLLC report 2012). The traditional marketing platforms such as newspaper ads, magazine placements, and commercials on television and radio are still quite effective but are, however, challenged by the emerging technologies and are slowly losing the significance that they have had in the past (Roberts 2007). There are contemporary (non-traditional) forms that have emerged with the success of emerging technologies but these platforms are yet to gain prominence and therefore are not yet highly effective though they have huge potential (KTLLC report 2012). These are inclusive of mobile marketing which entails mobile advertising, as well as, the use of marketing apps and branded apps on mobile to reach consumers with brand messages; crowd sourcing which is an open innovative model pioneered by sites such as Threadless.com in which customers are engaged to design and vote on new product designs; and geotargeting which entails the use of popular tools such as local websites offering discounts and review opportunities making it easy for consumers to find deals and engage with the businesses in their neighbourhoods and beyond creating local marketing campaigns which are highly targeted (Ebling 2007). During my placement, I was also tasked with the management of databases containing customer information while ensuring the smooth and effective operation of general processes and procedures pertaining to the Brand Management team. These processes include the coordination of general Public Relations activities; magazine subscriptions; implementation of new policies into the department; cross-brand trade promotion analysis and the maintenance of cross-brand expenditure tracking tools such as the advertising log, among other expenses. With regard to Brand Specific activities, I was tasked to assist Fisher Outdoor Leisure’s brand managers with specific brand activities such as the devising of strategy and alignment of messages for the commute and leisure cycling categories, new product launches, overall brand building, trade and consumer communication, and the implementation of an integrated marketing plan. Employability Various selection methods are used by recruiters, employers and agencies in the search for individuals to form organization’s workforce and to enable these organizations to achieve their success and objectives. The traditional method is the form in which written applications are sent either directly to employers or to agencies which is followed by robust interviews to screen candidates for appropriate fit to the organization’s objectives (Srinivasan 2009). Registration with job recruitment agencies or job search firms, as well as the personal network/word of mouth is more prominent as employers through their relationship with the agency or its network are able to gain valuable insight into the track record on current or previous roles of a candidate and thereby avoid the rigor associated with screening for appropriate candidates (Jacoby 2005). You read "Enhancing Employability in Marketing" in category "Essay examples" Temporary staff recruitment by employment agencies is also a method of recruitment in which an agency recruits and offers individuals for employment in organizations on a temporary basis (CBI report 2009). ­Ã‚ ­ Choice of candidates from work placement candidates and interns is also prominent in some organization’s hiring activity as these individuals are deemed to have gained valuable experience and have been observed at work, tried and tested for appropriateness (Salary Market Insight report 2012). Advantages of work placement The main advantage of a year-long work placement for second year undergraduates is that it gives the individual useful experience of the job market and valuable experience on what goes on in the business environment or in various organizations (CBI report 2009). It also enables an individual to make appropriate decisions on their career path before they actually make necessary decisions regarding coursework paths, the areas that they would like to continue with as their chosen careers. Work placement also enhances the chances of finding work with the respective companies as the individuals who have had gained experience on work placement are deemed more valuable than new recruits who would require extensive time-consuming training (CBI report 2009). Disadvantages of work placement A disadvantage arises from the increase in time spent in college, with the addition of a full year to enable the year-long work placement program. Also a disadvantage is the timing, as in second year, a student is not quite adequately informed about their career choices and paths and this might affect their choice of work placement programs (Brown 1998). Ease of obtaining work placement Organizations and employers in the modern day are cautious and risk averse, concerned with keeping the headcount within consistent which causes a dip in hiring activity. This caution also affects the work placement programs as these are paid positions which should contribute to the overall objective (Salary Market Insight report 2012). Getting work placement in this regard is therefore not easy under these circumstances and constraints. Organizations continue to seek specialist skills that will make immediate tangible impact on their bottom lines fighting for the high calibre, high quality candidates often in a limited talent pool. This has necessitated the use of screening and elimination processes to acquire the best fit with successful candidates often being those who have previous relevant and valuable experience (Salary Market Insight report 2012). This locks out candidates from the work placement category as this constrains opportunities for entrants into the job market with low skills and a huge requirement for training, therefore, making the finding of work placement opportunities a challenge. However, employers and universities have a duty to prepare tomorrow’s workforce through the development of their skills and attributes such as self-management, team working, understanding of key drivers for business success, problem solving, communication and literacy, entrepreneurship, and a positive attitude among other skills and attributes. In light of the limited talent pool and the difficulty in finding people with specialized skill sets, it is essential that organizations create work placement opportunities that enable the development of these desired skill sets and traits (CBI report 2009). This endeavour therefore eases the finding of work placement opportunities overall and enables companies attract quality graduates and post graduates with the desired skill and trait sets. Work placement fit in my career plan In the development towards my career in marketing, work placement at Fisher Outdoor Leisure Limited fits very well in my plan as it has given me invaluable insight and practical experience with regard to the marketing and advertising field. This opportunity has also enabled me to develop a number of skills and attributes that are often required in the job market and that enhance my chances in the job market upon graduating. The various tasks that I engaged in during my work placement covered a huge part of what marketing entails and were representative of the actual tasks that would comprise my future role in my career. My intention in preparing myself for the job market and enhancing my chances therefore includes identifying my skills sets and desirable attributes and those that I lack so as to further my personal development and employability. The skills that I intend to develop include entrepreneurship which includes risk taking, creativity and innovation which my work placement at Fisher Outdoor Leisure greatly helped me develop through the engagement in the marketing tasks. An attribute also developed at Fisher Outdoor Leisure Ltd. is communication through my involvement in developing marketing messages and general communication with trade and customers which required effective listening and questioning; problem solving skills through the situations in my particular responsibility and daily tasks with the requirement for creative thinking in developing advertising programs and strategies. It is evident therefore that my work placement was very important in development towards my future career. In my development towards my career, I need to develop self-management trait better in terms of developing flexibility, resilience, readiness for any responsibility and tasks, as well as, assertiveness; and to generally develop a positive attitude, openness to new ideas and a drive to achieve that will enable success in my chosen career path and contribution in my particular job. I would also need to develop number skills and the application of numbers that would be useful in analysis and evaluation of various data and information in the markets and in my particular professional field. This would require that I develop an understanding on the application and use of various Information technology tools and software, as well as taking relevant professional courses upon completion of my undergraduate studies that would build my capacity for such analysis and evaluation appropriate for my career. After graduation, I would also seek short term volunteer positions or internships that would enable to gain in understanding of key drivers for business and to fill up idle time that will result with the completion of my undergraduate study. This endeavour would benefit me in enhancing practical experience gained, adding on to my track record and overall skill thereby improving my employability and ease in getting a hiring. Conclusion This report has detailed my work placement which was undertaken at Fisher Outdoor Leisure Limited, a UK cycle distributor. My tasks and duties as Brand Assistant in the company entailed engagement in communication with trade customers, Market analysis, Corporate Brand development, enhancement of operational effectiveness in the marketing department, and involvement in Brand specific activities generally. The report has also delved into current trends in the Marketing and advertising industry taking an overview of the various platforms including social media and the online platform, the traditional print, TV and radio and the emerging contemporary platforms such as mobile marketing, crowd sourcing and geotargeting. It has also discussed the ease of obtaining work placement identifying the advantages and disadvantages of such work placement in second year undergraduate; overall employability and the skills and attributes that enhance such employability; and my personal endeavour towards employability and the development towards my future career. References Ataman, M., C., Mela, and H., Van Heerde, 2008. Building brands. Marketing Science, forthcoming. Burgess, S., and J., Steenkamp, 2006. â€Å"Marketing renaissance: How research in emerging markets advances marketing science and practice.† In: International Journal of Research in Marketing, 23 (4). CBI Employability Report, 2009. Graduate employability – CBI/UUK Report. Jacoby, S., 2005. The Embedded Corporation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. KTLLC communications report, 2012. Creative Solutions for Converging media. Salary and Market Insight Report, 2012. Michael Page. Roberts, J., U., Kayande, and S., Stremersch, 2007. Impact of marketing science on practice. European Marketing Association Conference Presentation. Srinivasan, S., and D., Hanssens, 2009. Marketing and firm value, Journal of Marketing Research, forthcoming. Brown, S., and K., Eisenhardt, 1998. Competing on the Edge. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Gruber, M., 2004. Marketing in new ventures: Theory and empirical evidence. Schmalenbach Business Review, 56(April 2004), 164-199. Ebling, C., and D., Klapper, 2007. Dynamic effects of promotions in choice data: Differences with respect to whether, what and how much to purchase. Marketing Dynamics Conference 2007. Delre, S., et al., 2007. Targeting and timing promotional activities: An agent-based model for the take-off of new products. Journal of Business Research, 60 (8), 826-835. How to cite Enhancing Employability in Marketing, Essay examples

Case Study Of Nike and Kentucky Fried Chicken †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Case Study Of Nike and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Answer: Introduction The global commercial scenario has experienced considerable dynamics and changes in their operational framework with time. Over the year, with events like Globalization, liberalization of industrial sectors of different countries and with more and more businesses increasing their operational domain internationally, the ways of doing businesses have also changes considerably (Wild, Wild and Han 2014). Businesses no longer only involve the demand and supply side players but also have implications on the overall economic and social conditions of the countries. With the increasing expansion of the businesses in different domains, social responsibilities of the businesses across the globe have also increased. This in turn has incorporated the notion of ethics in the operational framework of business. The demand for moral and ethical behavior to be incorporated in the aspects of business communications, domestic as well as international, in order to increase the welfare of not only those who are directly involved in these communications but also of those who are indirectly affected, has encouraged the development of the concept of business ethics (Trevino and Nelson 2016). The field of business ethics addresses the morality, responsibility and sensibility in the actions taken by the businesses in order to ensure that to achieve their primary priority of profit maximization the companies do not hamper the well being of any individual or of the society as a whole. Often in their operations and corporate decision-makings, the companies face situations of ethical dilemmas, which involve difficult choices between economic profits and social performances of the commercial companies. The economic profits involve the revenue and benefits of the company itself. However, the social performances involve the measurement of the obligations of the companies to the people and societies as a whole (Moore 2012). Considering this, the concerned essay tries to analyze two real cases of corporate ethical dilemmas and wrongdoings, involving two multinational giants, the reputed sports wears and accessories, Nike and the globally reputed food chain of Kentucky Fried Chicken, in the light of the theories existing in the domain of business ethics (Bazerman and Gino 2012). Discussing the ethical dilemmas and wrongdoings on parts of the decision makers, the implications and influences of the stakeholders and also the behaviors of the companies the essay also tries to recommend the correct behavior for the same and tries to justify the same in the light of the business ethics framework. Case Study 1- Nike As discussed above, Nike is one of the predominant multinational companies operating in the domain of design and manufacturing of apparel, sports accessories, footwear and equipments. With its origin in the United States of America and with headquarter near Oregon; the company has its sales in all the corners of the world. The company has average annual revenue of nearly 34 billion USD and employs nearly 75,000 employees across the world (Nike.com, 2018). With huge penetration in the sports accessories and apparel markets worldwide and with many high profile celebrities endorsing the brand, Nike is a known name among the global population in the contemporary period. However, in the last few years, the company has faced huge accusations and backlashes for allegedly running sweatshops in different developing countries. In other words, the company has been accused for shifting a major part of its production process in the developing and poorly developed countries, where they are accused of employing people at visibly low wages and in poor working conditions (Crane, Matten and Spence 2013). The company has also been accused of employing child labor in these countries and compelling their workers to work in environment detrimental to their health, which is considered as one of the greatest offense and breach in the corporate ethical framework. The problem, which Nike has been facing in this respect, indicates towards the emergence of ethical dilemma on part of the decision makers of the organization, which is elaborated in the following section. Problem areas The primary areas of concern in the operational framework of the company includes the presence of evidences of the company outsourcing their productions to the developing countries and not providing proper work environments to the domestic work force employed by them. Nike, in their factories provided work conditions to the workers, which were not at all as per the norms prevalent in the developed countries (Hopkins 2016). For instance, in some of the factories of the company in Korea and some other underdeveloped countries, the labors were made to work daily for seventeen hours, which is terribly above the conventional work hours. Apart from such labor hours and poor conditions, the wages provided to these labors by the company had been severely low and sometimes even lower than the amount needed for basic sustenance of their needs. These indicate towards the presence of immense exploitations of the cheap labors in the developing countries by such a reputed and multinational brand ( Zhakypova 2017). Another aspect in which the company has gained immense negative popularity is that they have always maintained steep prices of their products and has continuously engaged in promoting their products by getting high profile celebrities as the face of their company. These faces include celebrities like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, with the company spending millions of dollars for the promotional activities. Many on the other hand have highlighted these lavish expenses on the promotional activities on one hand and terribly low wages and poor working conditions for the employees and the company has earned huge criticisms around the world in the aspects of human rights (Nisen 2013). The issue of employing child labor in the countries with restrictions against employee unions was a deliberate strategy taken by the company, knowing that there would be fewer chances of agitations and strikes among the workers in those countries. The poor working conditions and lack of protections for the workers in the factories also led to many instances of breathing problems and skin problems among the workers, which is a huge violation of the basic human rights of the workers, on part of the multinational company, spending millions on advertisements and earning billions from their luxury products (James). Ethics: Theoretical Framework The actions and operations of Nike can be discussed in the light of the different theories existing in business ethics framework. Of these, the first theory is regarding the perspective of the social group. According to this concept, the decisions of someone or an organization do not solely depend on the same only but also depend on the social group in which he resides or to whom the same is answerable (Hartman, DesJardins and MacDonald 2014). In case of Nike, the social group can be considered as the employees, shareholders, consumers and different supply side contractors. These people living in different parts of the world, their perceptions of right and wrongdoing are also found to be different. For instance the wage paid by Nike to the employees in Korea may seem considerably low when measured from the perspective of the USA, but the cost of living of the former is also visibly low compared to the latter. The profit maximizing and rigorous expanding strategies of Nike can be explained with the help of the Egoism Theory in ethics, which states that the organizations or any individual have the right to place their own interests as the foremost priority in their rational decisions. Nike did the same, in order to ensure high revenues such that the money could be used for their further expansion of businesses and for venturing in other unexplored markets of the world (DesJardins and McCall 2014). This, though having negative implications on the workers to a considerable extent and on the reputation of the company in the eyes of human rights activists, however, helped the company to become one of the biggest multinational companies in the international scenario. Ethical Dilemmas The company, in its operations has faced several serious dilemmas and also have in some instances engaged in wrongdoings from the ethical perspectives which need to be highlighted. The first ethical dilemma faced by the company has been on the aspect of outsourcing their manufacturing activities to the developed countries. This has helped the company to maintain a high profit margin and also contributed positively in creating employment scopes in those labor rich but economic growth lacking countries (Reuter, Goebel and Foerstl 2012). However, in doing this, the company is held responsible for taking away considerable scopes of employment from its home countries and the company has also been accused of exploiting the cheap labors in the low developed countries by paying them sub standard wages and providing them with work environments much inferior than the conventional norms of the developed world. Another ethical dilemma faced by the company has been that of the tradeoff between huge expenses in the promotional activities and usage of the same money for the skill development of the employees and their overall welfare. While the former is expected to contribute in making the company globally popular, thereby increasing their sales and revenues, the latter is expected to create a healthy and motivated workforce for the company and in increasing the goodwill of the same in the eyes of the societies. Nike however chose to stick to the former, thereby letting go the opportunity to contribute to the humane aspects of the countries where they have established their manufacturing units (Daniel 2013). Recommendations The company has taken several steps in order to address the ethical issues cropping up in its operational framework, especially after these issues got global media attentions, which led to destruction of the goodwill and reputation of the company considerably in the international scenario. The company has already taken amending measures so as to come out of the accusations of running sweatshops in the under developed countries taking the privilege of their deprivations and less awareness in general (McMurrian and Matulich 2016). However, there are still several aspects which the company needs to emphasize upon. In this context, the theory of Utilitarianism can be referred to, which works under the notion that the greatest good is that good which is for the greatest number. Taking this aspect of ethical consideration into account, the company needs to invest more on the social and humane grounds of empowering their employees, not superficially, but in all the aspects of their life (Pullen 2016). Nike needs to concentrate more on building an inclusive corporate culture within the company itself to clarify its values; in order to bring more respect for all the cultural and ethnological diversities the company has in its workforce, in order to manage their operations efficiently and more ethically in future. Case Study 2- Kentucky Fried Chicken Like that of Nike, the Kentucky Fried Chicken is one of the leading fast food chains, having its origin in the USA and enjoying a worldwide operational domain and sales of their product, especially different varieties of fried chicken for which the company is internationally known. The company, having its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, currently enjoys the second position in terms of food chains, just after McDonalds and has its outlets in almost 20,000 locations across more than 123 countries in the globe. It also creates employment for thousands of people in these locations and the company enjoys average revenue of nearly 23 billion USD (Online.kfc.co.in, 2018). However, in spite of its immense popularity among the global population, especially the children, the young age clusters, and its increasing sales across different countries of the world, there have been several serious ethical issues, which the company has been facing in the last few years, which have also led to considerable criticisms of the company (Trevino and Nelson 2016). The primary criticisms of the company regarding its ethical wrongdoings have been based on the accusations against the company for allegedly using unhealthy ingredients and products to make their fried chickens (Sheehan 2013). On one hand, evidences have been found against KFC, of using oil containing Trans fat and on the other hand the company has also been accused of cruel chicken farming and of using unnatural methods like injections and chemicals on the chickens to increase the cost efficiency of their production process. Problem Areas One of the primary problem areas in the ethical framework of the company is the usage of oil containing trans fat in most of the products made and sold by the company in all parts of the world. This becomes even a bigger issue in the contemporary period, with more and more people realizing the negative effects of unhealthy eating and adapting to healthier lifestyles. Apart from oil, the other ingredients used by the company to make their products tasty and more appealing in the eyes of the youth, also contains substances which are not considered to be healthy in conventional standards (Sebastiani, Montagnini and Dalli 2013). However, KFC, in none of its promotions or advertisements has mentioned about the type of oil they use or the ingredients, which they add. In addition, the calorie content of their products and the negative implications, which they can bring on the consumers, especially the children, are not mentioned by KFC in any of their promotional activities. Apart from the above-mentioned problem, the company has also been accused of unethical handling of the animal resources, which is one of the serious offenses in the business ethics framework globally. The chicken suppliers of the company have been accused multiple times of keeping chickens in poor conditions and overcrowded cages. They have also been accused of using unfair means like drugs and chemicals to make the chickens heavier in order to increase the cost efficiency (Lawless 2013). The multinational company has also supported these activities in order to increase the revenues and profits considerably. The company has also been accused of keeping this information hidden from their clientele, which indicates towards severe negligence on part of the company in terms of the health and welfare of the customers. Ethics: Theoretical Framework The unfair means adopted by KFC can be considered extremely unethical from all the perspectives of the ethical framework existing in the contemporary business scenarios in the world, as it is involved direct adverse implications on the consumers, which also includes elderly people, women, children and youth. Their actions can be to somewhat explained from the Egoism perspective only. This perspective highlights the presence of rights in the hands of individuals or the organizations to take decisions keeping in front their own benefit first. However, the Egoism theory does not validate the activities of hampering the welfare of other people in order to increase its own benefits, which have been done by the company over the years (Jenning 2014). Ethical Wrongdoing The ethical dilemma, which the company faced and which led to the wrongdoing on part of the company, has been due to the tradeoff between the economic profits, competition and social reputation, which the company has been subjected to. With other food chains like Pizza Hut, Subway and McDonalds increasingly gaining popularity in the international domains, it has been essential on part of the company to increase their competitiveness which needed cost effective production. However, the method taken by KFC to achieve that has been wrong and highly unethical. Recommendations The company, on ethical perspectives, need to focus not only on the utilitarian views of welfare maximization of the society but also needs to incorporate the notion that they are effecting the future generations in a negative way. The cultural relativism aspect of ethics has also to be considered since the company serves in different countries with different food habits and beliefs regarding the same (McMurrian and Matulich 2016). The company also needs to bring in more transparency in their framework as their advertisements still misguides the customers to a considerable extent. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be asserted that corporate ethics has been gaining immense importance in the contemporary period with the international business structure becoming more integrated as well as complicated. In these aspects, ethical wrongdoings of companies, especially the internationally reputed large ones lead to immense negative implications not only on their clientele but also on the long-term prospects and reputations of the company themselves. Keeping this into consideration, Nike has been implementing positive changes and ethical considerations in its framework. However, KFC still lags behind in this aspect and they need to work more to come out clear of the allegations of ethical wrongdoings, which they have earned over time. For this robust ethical framework will be required in the infrastructure of both the concerned organizations, which can be able to incorporate the three Cs in business ethics, the compliance with the ethical regulations, the contribution t o the society as a whole and the consequences of the business operations. References Bazerman, M.H. and Gino, F., 2012. Behavioral ethics: Toward a deeper understanding of moral judgment and dishonesty.Annual Review of Law and Social Science,8, pp.85-104. Crane, A., Matten, D. and Spence, L., 2013. Corporate social responsibility in a global context. Daniel, T.A., 2013. Executive success and the increased potential for ethical failure.Society for Human Resource Management. DesJardins, J.R. and McCall, J.J., 2014.Contemporary issues in business ethics. Cengage Learning. Hartman, L.P., DesJardins, J.R. and MacDonald, C., 2014.Business ethics: Decision making for personal integrity and social responsibility. New York: McGraw-Hill. Hopkins, M., 2016.The planetary bargain: corporate social responsibility comes of age. Springer. James, K., Nikes Unethical Treatment of Overseas Factory Workers. Lawless, J., 2013. Kentucky Fried Transparency. McMurrian, R.C. and Matulich, E., 2016. Building customer value and profitability with business ethics.Journal of Business Economics Research (Online),14(3), p.83. Moore, G., 2012. Virtue in business: Alliance boots and an empirical exploration of MacIntyres conceptual framework.Organization Studies,33(3), pp.363-387. Nike.com (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.nike.com/ [Accessed 2 Mar. 2018]. Nisen, M., 2013. How Nike solved its sweatshop problem.Business Insider,9. Online.kfc.co.in (2018).Home | KFC. [online] Online.kfc.co.in. Available at: https://online.kfc.co.in/ [Accessed 2 Mar. 2018]. Pullen, J., 2016. Variables and Constants in the Theology of TR Malthus.History of Economics Review,63(1), pp.21-32. Reuter, C., Goebel, P. and Foerstl, K., 2012. The impact of stakeholder orientation on sustainability and cost prevalence in supplier selection decisions.Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management,18(4), pp.270-281. Sebastiani, R., Montagnini, F. and Dalli, D., 2013. Ethical consumption and new business models in the food industry. Evidence from the Eataly case.Journal of business ethics,114(3), pp.473-488. Sheehan, K.B., 2013.Controversies in contemporary advertising. Sage Publications. Trevino, L.K. and Nelson, K.A., 2016.Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. John Wiley Sons. Trevino, L.K. and Nelson, K.A., 2016.Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. John Wiley Sons. Wild, J.J., Wild, K.L. and Han, J.C., 2014.International business. Pearson Education Limited. Zhakypova, A., 2017. Dissecting corporate sustainability reporting: VW emissions scandal case.

Private School Vouchers Essays - Education Economics,

Private School Vouchers Matchmaker.com: Sign up now for a free trial. Date Smarter! Private School Vouchers Proposals to use private school vouchers, a marketplace strategy, as a mechanism by which to improve the general quality of public education have produced a lively debate. Frequently, that debate has degenerated into a disagreement about whether public schools are as good as private schools or whether a given private school is better than a certain neighborhood public school. Other issues raised in these discussions include the appropriate use of public funds, the role of competition in improving public education, and the right of parents to choose a school for their children. Although these issues are of interest, they are not the fundamental questions which must be raised about the future of public schools in a democracy. Two Core Issues In their rush to the marketplace, the proponents of private school choice supported by public funds have chosen to ignore two core issues. First, the advocates of private school choice studiously avoid any discussion of the relationship between public schools and the common or public good in a democracy. As an example, the Governor of Wisconsin asserts that "any school that serves the public is a public school" and should therefore receive public funds through a voucher system. There is no recognition in this proposal of the distinct and unique purpose of public education in serving the public good. This rhetorical sleight-of-hand does not mean that a private school of choice becomes a public school in purpose simply by so defining it. The claim is merely a device to divert public funds for private purposes. The failure to recognize that public schools have a central responsibility in a democratic society is further evidenced by the work of John Chubb and Terry Moe, who argue that improving the efficiency and quality of public education will require the replacement of democratic governance by market mechanisms. The authors state, "The most basic cause of ineffective performance among the nation's public schools is their subordination to public authority. ... The school's most fundamental problems are rooted in the institutions of democratic control by which they are governed". Chubb and Moe deny the historic purposes of public schools when they reject the idea that educational policy should be directed by a common vision or purpose. They assert, "It should be apparent that schools have no immutable or transcendent purpose. ... What they are supposed to be doing depends on who controls them and what these controllers want them to do". The Thompson proposal for Wisconsin's schools embraces this belief system it is a denial of the fundamental role of public education in affirming the public good. A second issue which remains unexamined in the rush to the marketplace concerns the claims offered in defense of private school choice. Choice is offered as a "lesson learned" rather than a proposition to be examined. Advocates of private school choice have ignored its history. Despite the claims made for a market-based school restructuring strategy, the history of choice does not support the claims of its proponents. A Declaration of Crisis Willingness to abandon strong support for public schools and to turn to marketplace solutions is driven by a crisis rhetoric. This rhetoric, which suggests that public education is failing, is not only misleading, it is dangerous because it may erode public confidence in the very institutions on which our capacity for a democratic response depends. Criticism of public education has continued unabated since the publication of A Nation At Risk in 1983. Stimulated in large part by new international economic realities, by a domestic economy based on traditional production models, and by changing domestic demographics, the critics have sought solutions to these challenging problems by turning to schools and educators. The data cited by critics of public schools were accepted at face value until the late 1980's. However, since then, a variety of research reports have revealed that much of the criticism has been simplistic and has distorted and misrepresented the conditions of public education. The credibility of the crisis-in-education claim, in fact, rests not on immutable evidence of school failure but, rather, on a linkage which has been established by critics between education and other social problems such as violent crime, drug use, family instability, and economic uncertainty. Although schools are not charged directly with creating these problems, the public is turning to public education for solutions to broad and complex social conditions. This occurred in the 1950's in response to the Russian scientific and military challenge, in the 1960's in response to the challenge of racial segregation, and again in the 1980's in response to the challenges

Google IPO

Google IPO Initial Public Offering for Google Inc.A start-up corporation may have its inception through privately invested funds or through procuring funds through a venture capital firm or a composite of both funding sources. Venture capital is defined as "money invested to finance a new firm" (Brealey, Myers, and Marcus, 2004, p. 368). Venture capitalists often hold seats on the company's board of directors and provide input in the composition of the senior management team that leads the company (Brealey et al., 2004, p. 369). In the chronological development of a successful company, likely there will come a time when growth opportunities and expansion plans call for more capital than can reasonably be obtained through continued investment by venture capitalists. How does a company raise the capital it needs to continue its development? One option is to sell shares in the company to the public, which is an "initial public offering (IPO)" (Brealey et al.,India Inc book launch2004, p. 370).On A pril 29, 2004, the internet search engine company Google filed a Form S-1 or registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under its chartered name of Google Inc. As news of the pending IPO spread, speculation ran rampant about the potential earnings that Google might anticipate. CNN Money reported that, "Wall Street has been eagerly anticipating a filing from Google so investors could finally get a glimpse into the company's finances (LaMonica, 2004, p. 1). In addition, the already intense competition between Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft's MSN was projected to escalate substantially as a result of Google's intent to move into the public domain.Registration, Disclosure, and Compliance IssuesA business moving toward an IPO has a number of requirements that it must meet in order to satisfy the SEC standards for issuing common stock. In order to achieve its...

Term paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Term paper - Essay Example ber of Filipinos who play the guitar, it truly is the most common instrument in the country’s music industry, one musical contribution left by the Spaniards. As Professor Samuel Tan noted in his book â€Å"A History of the Philippines†, as the Philippines experiences neocolonialism in the coming of the US, Filipinos have come to embrace this new culture and tailor it to their current lives. The strength on the US influence spreads on two elements of music—rhythm and lyricism. Since the US introduced rock ‘n roll, R&B, and blues, Filipinos have come up with their own variations in musical style as they adopt it to their own culture. The rhythm could be rock ‘n roll, but with Tagalog lyrics; or famous Filipino singers with their own versions, or â€Å"covers† as it has been called, of hit singles in America. All these contribute to the richness of the Philippine music as mà ©lange of various influences in the country’s past. One of the leading forces that continue to shape the current Philippines music industry today is a quintet known as â€Å"The CompanY†. Critically acclaimed as the Philippines’ premiere vocal group, The CompanY, with a capital Y at the end of the group’s name is a quintet that started in the industry since 1985. For twenty-one years, the group has garnered most of the prestigious some 36 musical awards in the country. Its five members have had excellent background in music—they are theater actors, vocal instructors, composers, and members of some of the most prestigious internationally-awarded choral groups in the Philippines such as the Philippine Madrigal Singers, University of the Philippines Concert Chorus, University of the Philippines and Ateneo College Glee Club. The CompanY, as claimed in the group’s website, keeps their music from being confined into a single category; with their songs, they exude their vocal prowess and the range of musical possibilities their capabilities could carry by trying on virtually almost all

Art and the Artist Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8750 words

Art and the Artist - Coursework Example It is such an emphasis on individualism that usually lays the ground for a career in the arts and defines an artist's identity along the way. In the US, sponsors of an art enrichment program interviewed children aged 8-11 to explore how children perceive their own development in terms of artistic and creative identities. The answers are instructive and say a great deal about what it takes to develop an artistic identity. The youngest said they chose their subject matter based on what they liked or thought others would like if their artwork were a gift. The 9-year-olds in the group said they were focused on making their work look "real" by using their knowledge in a combination of work and enjoyment. The 10-year-olds expressed interest in subjects that pose a technical challenge, pointing out that an artwork did not have to look real to be considered art. The 11-year-olds, on the other hand, wanted to explore different painting styles and find something interesting and then persist in accomplishing this desired style. The oldest children demonstrated elements of artistic decision-making skills, selecting among these elemen ts and modifying their knowledge and skills to create the desired end (Rostan, 1998). All the children interviewed were unanimous in saying that being an artist involves a combination of knowledge, motivation and purposeful work. How this combination of these factors come in their order of importance differed according to age. The youngest children said knowledge or an inborn talent is the most important, the older ones believed it was motivation and the oldest said purposeful work should take precedence over the others. Any study of the rise to fame of contemporary artists would also show that family and friends and the milieu in which an individual grows up bear an influence on the development of an artistic identity. Childhood experiences also provide inspiration for one to take up arts. For example, Louise Bourgois is considered very effective in conveying such feelings as anger, betrayal and jealousy because of an adulterous father whose mistress the governess lived with the family even as her mother refused to acknowledge the immorality. The best way to capture the development of an artist's identity is to chronicle the odyssey of artists from obscurity to the halls of fame. Medium as Message Sculptors create things to express an idea or feeling, which may or may not be shared by others. For example, a classic creation of Barbara Hepworth called "Corinth" looks like a big red apple that someone took a bite out of, but it was really not meant to be a sculpture of an apple. Two colors and a variety of textures, which cannot be seen in apples, were used to add interest and certain meaning to the abstract shape. In effect, the artist merely used the figure of an apple to convey a personal message, with sculpture as medium. There are many known art mediums by which artists can express their own ideas or feelings and it is a popular belief that the identity of an artist emerges as result of his/her chosen medium. The medium may also be an art movement, such as Abstractionism and Cubism, which could give an artist his/her own identity. It appears that

Issues of Corporal Punishment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Issues of Corporal Punishment - Research Paper Example According to Farrell, the existence of corporal punishment has diminished in Western society, but the practice is still continued in non-western societies, and the politicians of the western society keep on trying to making this punishment method a part of their legal system. Corporal punishment has existed in schooling systems and questions have been raised against and support has been given in the favour of corporal punishment in educational institutes. Activities that are categorized as Corporal punishment includes: whipping, gagging, flogging etc. These activities were practiced in US as well as Europeans nations for several years. Graeme Newman, a supporter of Corporal Punishment has stated in his work that activities such as electric shocks that are listed under the corporal punishment regime should be assigned for even smaller degree of crimes (Howard, 2001, p.259). He supports this kind of punishment over prison period because he believes that this punishment is equal to the crime committed and prison period cannot be compare to the crime committed. He is even in favour of corporal punishment as he believes that punishment has lower economic costs as compared to prison period. Body History The history of corporal punishment can be traced back to the period of tenth century and its existence can be traced in the educational and legal system of Rome and Egypt. Certain nations were highly popular for using such way of punishing individuals, one of such nations was Sparta, and during this period this means of penalizing individuals was most commonly used. During the Roman period the minimum corporal punishment assigned to an individual was forty counts of strokes with a whip or lash on the back and in certain cases fasces were applied on an individual’s buttocks. Such punished were carried to the extent of making the criminal bleed and these punishments were made public with the objective of creating an example out of these punishments and to inflict fear in the citizens. During the 5th and the 15th century, same practices were conducted and encouraged by the churches of that period in Europe. Due to the educational system’s close attachment to the churches of that period, these methods of disciplining individuals were even adopted by educational institutes. This treatment was never opposed before the 11th century, during 11th century, it gain criticism as it was being used continuously to discipline children and the degree of this punishment was considered very high. Corporal punishment experienced a complete switch during the 16th century. During this period these punishments were made available for the public’s eyes to inflict fear in those who have never committed a crime or who were potential future criminals. During this period Roger Ascham was one of those who criticized the use of corporal punishment in educational institutes. Another popular criticizer was John Locke, he openly criticized its use in educa tional institutes and due to his continuous criticism, this way of penalizing children in educational institutes was banned by the policy makers and educators of Poland during 1783 and Poland gained recognition as the first country every to do so (Hastings, 1971, p.144). This way of punishing individuals gained further criticism during the 18th century by policy makers and

Age assessments for unaccompanied asylum seeking

Age assessments for unaccompanied asylum seeking DISSERTATION Age assessments for unaccompanied asylum seeking children: Policy, law and implications for social work. Abstract Methodology Literature Review Chapter One – Introduction Chapter Two – Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers Chapter Three – Age Assessment Policy, Legislation and Practice Chapter Four – Conclusion and Recommendations. Unaccompanied asylum seeking children arrive in the UK seeking refuge from often-horrific events in their home countries. The response of both national government and local authorities to this influx has been largely unsatisfactory with campaigners arguing that the focus has been on cutting costs and removing young asylum seekers rather than providing them with the care that they are entitled to. This study suggests that policy and practice around age assessment is central to this argument. There is significant evidence that local authorities are pressurising social workers to age assess children as older than they are in order to save them money. The haphazard way in which age assessments have usually been carried out only serves to encourage this behaviour. Even without financial pressure, the lack of a standard approach to age assessment is also leading to inconsistencies when age assessments are put into practice The focus of this dissertation has been to analyse how, why and when age assessments are used in processing unaccompanied asylum seekers and examine whether the process is fair and consistent. The methodology has primarily to adopt secondary sources and evaluate evidence from as wide a range of viewpoints as possible. The dissertation has been aimed towards a conclusion that the current process is unsatisfactory and has attempted to deliver recommendations that could improve the process. Literature for this dissertation has been gathered from a combination of academic books and journals, government publications, reports produced by independent agencies and articles from newspapers and magazines including The Guardian and Community Care. One of the most detailed reports on the subject of assessment is the 2007, When is a child not a child? Asylum, age disputes and the process of age assessment by Crawley. Much of the factual detail about the actual mechanics of age assessment has been gathered from this source. Of academic journals, the articles written by Kohli have been most useful as they delivering the results and analysis from a wide range of studies around unaccompanied asylum seekers. Each year, approximately 3000 unaccompanied children and young people arrive in the UK to seek asylum.[1] Many of these are subject to age assessment to clarify that they are entitled to services available to vulnerable children in the UK. The age of people claiming to be children can be disputed by a range of professionals, from immigration officers to police and social workers. It is important to define what an age assessment actually is at the beginning of this study. An age assessment is he method used by either the UK border and Immigration Agency or local authority social services departments to assess the age of an asylum seeker.[2]There is currently no method that is capable of defining the exact age of a child and the accuracy of the assessment will often be produced within a range of two years over or below the assessment age.[3] Some commentators have argued that many local authorities have proactively looked to avoid the cost of looking after young asylum seekers in need and have set up control measures to keep children aged 16-18 out of the territory.[4] One of the mechanisms for doing this has been attempts by social workers to stop classifying unaccompanied minors as children. There have been suggestions that many social workers became preoccupied with attempting to assess the age of applicants rather than providing services and that such an assessment was crude exercise based on the individual opinion of a single social worker. As Kohli writes â€Å"studies reported a growing disbelief in respect of those claiming to be under 18 and the treatment of anyone over 16 years as a de facto adult allowed access to food and shelter but little else.†[5] Professionals working in the highest echelons of childcare have expressed similar concerns, for example the Children’s Commissioner Sir Al Aynsley Green has stated: â€Å"Although Home Office Policy is for the immigration officer to apply the ‘benefit of the doubt’ in favour of the applicant in borderline cases, the evidence suggests that in practice this is frequently not adhered to. The result is that a substantial number of asylum seekers who are in fact unaccompanied children are excluded from the protection of domestic care regimes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [6] Government policy from the early part of the decade has been to work in partnership with local authorities and disperse asylum seekers of all ages around the country. The Home Office negotiated contracts with a number of authorities to receive and accommodate asylum seekers.[7] There also is evidence to support this. Central government has since 2005 looked to change the role of social work teams at ports of entry to work practically as adjuncts to the Border and Immigration Agency, deliberately narrowing the gap between immigration and social services functions. There is clearly a financial motivation for this – in 2005 the 6000 unaccompanied asylum seeking children offered services by local authorities comprised less than 10% of cases yet used up approximately 25% of the Home Office budget.[8]Social work teams have been set targets in terms of turning away age disputed asylum seekers and assessing clients claiming to be 15 as older.[9] This study looks at how the UK deals with unaccompanied asylum seekers and in particular examines policy and practice around age assessment. Chapter two focuses on the legislation in place and policy around it whilst chapter three looks more specifically at the age assessment processes and the general failings of the system in the UK. Chapter four concludes with recommendations on improving the system Unaccompanied asylum seeking children arrive in the UK for a number of reasons. A recent study of 218 arrivals found that half came from countries undergoing armed conflict or serious disturbances and over two fifths were victims of direct or indirect persecution. Deprivation, poverty or trafficking for exploitation were other primary reasons for seeking asylum.[10] Dealing with asylum seeking children, either with or without their families is a growing area of social work practice yet one in which there is relatively little understanding of the needs or circumstances of such children.[11] In legislative terms, legislation such as The Children’s Act 1989 and The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families remain central to issues around assessment and care for asylum-seeking children and they should also be included under the remit of the Every Child Matters agenda. The Children and Young People’s Plan 2005 for example makes reference to joint working between housing and social care bodies to meet the housing needs of unaccompanied asylum seekers. [12] For local authorities, there is a duty to provide services necessary to safeguard and promote the well-being of any children deemed to be in need under the Children Act 1989. Due to the absence of their parents, unaccompanied children are classed as vulnerable and therefore in need. The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 also reinforces the local authority duty to support unaccompanied minors. It is helpful to have a clear definition of what an unaccompanied asylum seeker actually is. The Immigration and Nationality Directorate definition is a young person under the age of 18(or who appears to be if there is no proof); who is applying for asylum in his or her own right; and who has no adult relative or guardian to turn to within the UK.[13] The age of an unaccompanied asylum seeker has historically been an important factor in respect of the Special Grant that the Home Office made available to unaccompanied minors. Prior to 2004 there were two levels of support available, with those supported under the age of 16 receiving a higher level and those first supported at age 16 or 17 receiving half that amount.[14] However, a judicial review – the Hillingdon Judgement – carried out in 2004 has significantly increased the impact on local authorities. The judgement ruled that, except in exceptional cases, all asylum-seeking children must be treated under section 20 of the Children’s Act 1989 which classes them as looked after children. [15] There is clearly an impact on service provision for both national and local government. Watters writes that â€Å"the arrival of significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children through the port of Dover thus presented very significant challenges to social care, health and education providers in the south east.† [16] Asylum seekers who after the assessment process became looked after children would be entitled to foster or residential placements, an allocated social worker and financial support. They may also have qualified for the benefits of leaving care status up to the age of 21, a further financial burden on local authorities. The question of age then is a crucial issue for local authorities. Many young people seeking asylum do not have official papers or documentation confirming their age so practitioners in both social services and immigration have difficult decisions to make. It can be difficult to draw information from asylum seeking children – research shows that when they are asked about reasons for their asylum request, they try and fit their stories into the narrow format that they believe are acceptable in their given country.[17]This in turn can lead to scepticism amongst officials and social workers, the same research reported instances of social services personnel being cynical about young Kosovan and African males claiming to be younger than they looked and thus worrying that their services were being exploited and their resources drained.[18] Ultimately, age assessment is a crucial tool for immigration officials and social workers. There are asylum seekers who try to abuse the system, so a method of asserting age is required. When the current practices serve this purpose will be discussed in chapter three. When and Why Most age disputes in asylum cases occur when an asylum seeker first applies for asylum, normally at their port of entry.[19]There is little in the way of formal assessment at this point, age disputes will be lodged primarily based on the basis of appearance, demeanour and documentation. Another issue of contention is the range of individuals or professionals that might dispute the age of an asylum seeker – this can include immigrations officials, social workers or police officers. Social workers may even dispute the age of a child who had not been queried by immigration officials. Age disputes may happen several months or even years after a child has entered the country. Crawley quotes a case study of a young girl who had been brought into the country at a young age to be used as a domestic slave. When immigration officials became aware of her five years later – still under the age of 16 – she was age disputed before eventually taken into the care of a social services department.[20] In contrast, many young people, perhaps some who are over 18, slip through the net and are classed as minors. Many social services departments simply do not have the resources to undertake formal age assessments and have concerns about the impact of multiple interviews and assessment on young asylum seekers. As such, decisions are made not to query age. Policy and Legislative framework Home Office policy in terms of unaccompanied minors is set out in policy documents including Policy bulletin 33, Guidance from processing applications from children and Guidance on age disputed cases 3rd ed which lays out specific procedures for professionals who dispute a claimant’s age and believe that it is an adult claiming to be a child. One of the most interesting aspects of policy and perhaps the most controversial in the light of what appears to be happening is that the INDs guidance on age disputed cases states clearly that when there is an age dispute â€Å"a claimant must be given the benefit of the doubt with regards to their age unless their physical appearance strongly suggests that they are aged 18 or over†.[21]It seems that this is not the case currently in practice – local authorities certainly are encouraging social work team to dispute age more regularly. Other aspects of the IND guidance can be confusing and it is not surprising that there are inconsistencies in practice. For example there is no actual duty for immigration officers to refer age disputed cases to the appropriate local authority, rather this is something that should be done in principle, a situation that can only complicate things for social workers further down the line. Overall, the current system seems disjointed and variable. As Crawley writes: â€Å"There is evidence of a significant gap between what is supposed to happen and to what happens in practice†[22] and some of the issues involves at age assessment units around the country highlight this: A general lack of care, including a lack of food and water, for young people waiting to be screened A failure to use the privacy of separate interview rooms Difficulties with microphones meaning conversations held through the glass screen in the public area are either overheard or not heard at all No responsible adult being present to support young person[23] Clearly age assessment is not a simple matter. All children vary in development, maturity and natural growth and there can be a wide range of supposed ‘normal findings’ at various ages. It is extremely difficult to accurately gather a young persons age and things such as race, ethnicity and local conditions such as disease and malnutrition have to be considered in any assessment. Whether children’s social workers are qualified to do this is questionable The organisation Youth Support which assists young refuges reports that in its own age assessment process it includes as many factors as possible including â€Å"height, weight, body mass, shoe size, developmental factors such as skin care and teeth, sexual development; mental and emotional age estimates including thought processes and general concepts. Also of great importance is the history and social milestones which the young person might have experienced – again talking culture and religion into consideration.†[24] There is clearly inconsistency in the process nationwide. Michie argues that one of the problems in the UK has been that a diversity of systems and guidelines has developed in assessing the age of unaccompanied minors, involving a combination of history collection, physical anthropometry and radiographs. He writes: â€Å"Their lack of uniformity identifies an underlying difficulty: there is no method by which chronological age can be precisely estimated in this age group. Paediatricians in the United Kingdom care for small numbers of individuals in late adolescence and early adulthood in graduate outpatient services, but often have little experience in this area.†[25] There are some success stories. At Heathrow Airport for example, Hillingdon Social Services have used a number of strategies to deal with large volumes of unaccompanied asylum seekers. These have included use of a dedicated police officer for child protection, a specific questionnaire for staff working at terminal 3 and the development of a specifics age assessment tool combined with specific training,.[26] Guidance for Social Work Practice Age assessment is clearly a difficult area for social work practitioners. There is little experience in this type of work and relatively little in the way of practice guidelines. The guidance drawn up by the Children’s Legal Centre is perhaps the most useful document for social workers to refer to when carrying out age assessments. Some of the points included are: Taking account of ethnicity, culture and customs of the person being assessed and well as the level of trauma, tiredness, anxiety and bewilderment present The asylum seeker may have had coaching prior to arrival. It is important for the social work to engage with the person in a process sometimes known as ‘joining’. The assessment framework should be led by open, non-leading questions The practitioner should note the verbal and non-verbal (body language) behaviour of the person A useful indicator is if the person seems uncomfortable talking to an adult A detailed family tree with ages of parents and siblings can help assessing likely age Questions about the activities and roles a person was involved in prior to entering the UK can be a good indicator Social workers may consider arranging for the person to be put in a social situation with people of the age stated and observing interaction Gaining detailed accounts of educational history can be a valuable source of information in making an accurate age assessment Assessment of life skills is useful – does the person have any experience of living independently, managing money etc[27] All of the above can be done in conjunction with opinion and input from other sources including foster carers, teachers, doctors, interpreters and residential workers. It is useful also to have input from paediatricians, dentists or optician although a social worker should take into account advice from paediatricians that there can be a five year error in age assessments.[28] Just as important is information and best practice sharing between professional involved in this type of work. A uniform approach to age assessment across the UK should be a shared objective. There are clearly huge improvements necessary in the way that social service departments across the country deal with unaccompanied asylum seekers. This includes both the process for age assessment and the subsequent services provided. Evidence shows that staff in the various agencies dealing with these children lack knowledge about the services available and how to deal with the emotional trauma that many of these children will have experienced.[29]Social workers dealing with age assessments are clearly lacking in the skills to do so accurately. One reported when surveyed: â€Å"We do them (age assessments) but we can be wrong five years either side – it matters a lot doesn’t it? They can end up with many dates of birth – social services, Home Office, their own..†[30] Practitioners need such understand the vulnerability of the young people they are dealing with and avoid taking a cynical approach. As Michie concludes: â€Å"The fairness, legality and ethical base of any national framework for age assessment has to take into account legal history, jurisprudence as well as the paediatric wisdom, â€Å"What if this were my child?†, Although it may be difficult to quantify the inadequacies of the current system, it clearly compounds abuse to a vulnerable group of children. We must do better.†[31] The are some positives in examining the UK response to unaccompanied asylum seekers . The more holistic approach developed in recent years seems to be more efficient are more aware of the sensitivities of the issues than for example the US and Australian governments. Bhaba et al write of the UK: â€Å"It has made extensive efforts to identify children in genuine need at the earliest possible stage and to institute programmes to target trafficking in children through training of in country border officials and the instigation of research. [32]This is a pleasing sign, yet problems still occur when age is disputed. Recommendations: There are a number of steps that can be taken to improve the way in which young asylum seekers are treated to ensure consistency. Protection of vulnerable children is crucial, yet it is also important that age assessments can be used to identify asylum seekers over the age of 18 who seek to abuse the system. The EU’s reception directive states that unaccompanied children seeking asylum should be appointed a legal guardian[33] and this should be adopted by the UK Helping vulnerable children through the process would be a welcome improvement. Trained, skilled age assessors should be employed at ports of entry. These may well be social workers, experienced in dealing with this age group, accountable to a child protection team with paediatric expertise open to them in some form. Another option would be to establish fully trained multi agency teams based in regional assessment centres, something that would produce holistic and better-informed outcomes. Ideally age assessors should be financially independent of local authority social services – this would limit the chance of pressure being put upon assessors to reach targets for the number of age assessments found to be 18+. The lack of statutory guidance on the process of age assessment should also be addressed – this would help alleviate some of the inconsistencies in the process. A final recommendation, supported by Crawley, would be for the age assessment process to be overlooked by an independent age assessment panel which could provide support and guidance, help with the auditing process and make it less likely that decisions could be challenged or influence by those holding the local authority purse strings. The most important thing is that age assessment is done fairly and consistently, and that young asylum seekers are treated in the same way, regardless of port of entry or the local authority overseeing them. At present this is not the case and there is work for legislators, policy makers and practitioners to do if this is to be rectified. Bibliography Bhaba J, Finch N, Crock M Schmidt S, Seeking Asylum Alone, Themis Press 2006 Chase e, Emotional Well-being of asylum seeking children, http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2008/07/29/108994/well-being-of-asylum-seeking-children.html accessed 15 October Children’s Legal Centre, Practice Guidelines for age assessment of young unaccompanied asylum seekers, http://www.childrenslegalcentre.com/NR/rdonlyres/BAA6E134-7810-42C1-9634-2AC500D326DE/0/PracticeNotesKarenGoodman.pdf accessed 15 October Crawley, H, When is a child not a child? Asylum, age disputes and the process of age assessment, Immigration Law Practitioners Association, May 2007 DFES 2005, Guidance on the Children and Young People’s Plan, Hayes D, Humphries B, Cohen S, Social Work, Immigration and Asylum, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2004 Kelly A, Minors Conflict, The Guardian Jan 31 2007 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/jan/31/asylum.guardiansocietysupplement1 accessed 16 October Kohli R, The Comfort of Strangers: social work practice with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people in the UK, child and Family Social Work ,vol 11 2006 Kohli R, The Sound of Silence: Listening to What Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children Say and Do Not Say, British Journal of Social Work vol 36 2006 Michie CA, Age Assessment: time for progress? Archives of Disease in Childhood, 90(6) June 2005 Mitchell F, The social services response to unaccompanied children in England, Children and Family Social Work, vol 8 August 2003 Watters C, Refugee Children, Routlege 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/jan/05/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices accessed 15 October Asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/jan/05/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices accessed 16 October http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/asylumprocessguidance/specialcases/guidance/disputedagecases.pdf?view=Binary accessed 15 October www.everychildmatters.com accessed 14 October http://www.ilpa.org.uk/infoservice/Info%20sheet%20Age%20Disputes%20%20Age%20Assessment.pdf accessed 16 October 1 [1] Chase e, Emotional Well-being of asylum seeking children, http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2008/07/29/108994/well-being-of-asylum-seeking-children.html [2] http://www.ilpa.org.uk/infoservice/Info sheet Age Disputes Age Assessment.pdf [3] http://www.ilpa.org.uk/infoservice/Info sheet Age Disputes Age Assessment.pdf [4] P2 Kohli R, The Comfort of Strangers: social work practice with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people in the UK, child and Family Social Work ,vol 11 2006 [5] p2 Kohli 2006 [6] p4 Crawley 2007 [7] p85 Watters 2008 [8] p84 Watters C, Refugee Children, Routlege 2008 [9] p84 Watters C, Refugee Children, Routlege 2008 [10] p179 Mitchell F, The social services response to unaccompanied children in England, Children and Family Social Work, vol 8 August 2003 [11] p132 Hayes D, Humphries B, Cohen S, Social Work, Immigration and Asylum, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2004 [12] p22 Guidance on the Children and Young People’s Plan, DFES 2005 [13] P179 Mitchell 2003 [14] p179 Mitchell 2003 [15] Kelly A, Minors Conflict, The Guardian Jan 31 2007 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/jan/31/asylum.guardiansocietysupplement1 [16] p85 Watters 2008 [17] p711 Kohli R, The Sound of Silence: Listening to What Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children Say and Do Not Say, British Journal of Social Work vol 36 2006 [18] p718 Kohli 2006 [19] p14 Crawley 2007 [20] p16 Crawley 2007 [21] p43 Crawley 2007 [22] p44 Crawley 2007 [23] p47 Crawley 2007 [24] Asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/jan/05/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices [25] p612 Michie CA, Age Assessment: time for progress?Archives of Disease in Childhood, 90(6) June 2005 [26] p613 Michie 2005 [27] Childrens Legal Centre, Practice Guidelines for age assessment of young unaccompanied asylum seekers, http://www.childrenslegalcentre.com/NR/rdonlyres/BAA6E134-7810-42C1-9634-2AC500D326DE/0/PracticeNotesKarenGoodman.pdf [28]

Pro Immigration Essay -- Pros of Immigration, Immigrants

Pro Immigration   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We live in the age where scandalous and controversial topics cover the news headlines. Such subject matters as homosexuality, A.I.D.S, and abortion are fiercely debated upon. Sides are always taken, with the conservatives battling the liberals. One such argument that has always been debated upon since the founding of this nation has been immigration. The fact that it has been argued over for so long makes it seem ironic. A country founded by immigrants perpetually arguing over immigration. The basis of this dispute runs deep and that is what will be discussed in this following paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anti-immigrant sentiments have been circulating since the Alien Act of June 25, 1798 . The Act was the first federal legislation that dealt with the expulsion of aliens in the United States. Another landmark case was the notorious Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. That clause revoked all Chinese immigrants to emigrate to the States for a period of ten years. It is so infamous due to the fact that it was the first bill that discriminated against any one particular race. Restrictions on immigration may seem to have been eradicated from current history but that is an oversight. Even in the "politically correct" society we live in today allows for these discrepancies, for in the Immigration Act of 1990 which brought up controls for immigration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Behind all these legal documents there are reasons that spurred these causes. Certain prejudices against certain races or religion. The prejudices were not always a color issue as the current immigration problems are. In the beginning it was primarily Europeans. In particular the Irish and German were thought of negatively. The percentage of the Irish in the Mid-Atlantic went from 45.9% in 1870 to 48.5 in 1930. Germans in 1870 went from 31.4% to 35.6% in 1930 . The common belief was that the two races were against assimilation. They lived in their own communities and refused to learn the English language. But that belief like all others were false based. After the Germans and Irish started to finally assimilate we needed a new scapegoat. The next were the Italians and Jews, following them were the Catholics. Throughout history there were always someone who got the blame put on them. Lately the blame has been put upon Middle-Eastern, Asians and Hispanics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now that the b... ...ead a better life. Immigrants also by arriving to America they pass on knowledge of their own culture to help unify all the humans. Also by sharing their culture we are able to expand business further into other foreign countries. With the motivation and talent that they possess immigrants are the backbone for the continued growth of our country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My stand on immigration is probably lucid. I am pro-immigration. Being an immigrant myself I have personally felt the hardships and prejudices held against me, simply based on skin color. Immigrants that arrive here usually come with a goal in life - to succeed on it. With that kind of mentality I share the same view as Stephen Moore. Even the undocumented immigrants that seem to be numerous is false, they only constitute roughly 1-1.5% a very small margin to say the least. This country was founded by immigrants, built by immigrants and flourishes because of immigrants. It seems only in dire times that America tries to find a scapegoat to use as a justification of why they are failing, when the truth of the matter is that the fact that we have to blame someone else we have a much more serious problem than we think.