Business Policy Essay

Please discuss, in detail, what is meant by a hierarchy of strategy According to our textbook, A hierarchy of strategy is a grouping of strategy types by level in the organization. Hierarchy of strategy is a nesting of one strategy within another so that they compliment and support one another (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, p. 20). A companys functional strategies are nested within its business strategies, which is in turn nested in the overall corporate strategy. Since Im in the Air Force, I like to compare this to the different functional levels of command tactical, operational, and strategic. Each is nested within each other and compliments/supports one another just like a hierarchy of strategy. Most members operate at the tactical level (functional) then move up to the operational level (business) as they get promoted through the ranks. Leaders operate at the strategic level (corporate) ensuring that the overall mission/direction of the organization is being accomplished according to pla n. Although a hierarchy of strategy is optimal for most companies, many companies feel that a functional organizational structure is not an efficient way to organize activities, so they have reengineered according to processes or strategic business units (SBUs). A SBU is a semi-autonomous unit that is usually responsible for its own budgeting, new product decisions, hiring decisions, and price setting. An SBU is treated as an internal profit centre by corporate headquarters (Strategy, 2014). QUESTION 2 Please discuss, in detail, what you think constitutes a good corporate strategy and why Our textbook states that, Corporate Strategy describes a companys overall direction in terms of its general attitude toward growth and the management of its various businesses and product lines. Corporate strategies typically fit within the three main categories of stability, growth, and retrenchment (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, p. 19). refers to the plan of action, a sense of direction, and a corporate strategy refers to the overall scope and sense of direction to the organization on the whole. It represents the way in which the various business operations work together in the quest to achieve the organizational objectives. A corporate strategy should be formula ted after taking into consideration the overall market and environmental analysis. Proper recognition of the mission, vision and objectives of the organization should be kept in mind before the formulation of the corporate strategy.

Ethical Analysis of Baby Theresa Essay

Baby Theresa is a very unique case. Theresa Ann Campo Pearson was an infant born in Florida 1992, with Anencephaly, which is where the two most important parts of the brain are missing, the cerebrum and cerebellum, as well as the top of the skull. Without these parts of the brain she would never have had higher brain functions or consciousness. However, there is still a brain stem connected so all the autonomic functions are still working, such as having a heart beat and breathing. Anencephaly is known as one of the worst congenital disorders, thus these cases are usually detected during pregnancy and aborted. If not aborted, half are stillborn or if born alive, they usually die within a few days. In Baby Theresa’s case, she died nine days after birth. Even though, knowing that Baby Theresa would not live long and never have a conscious life, her parents requested that her organs would not go to waste, but instead be donated for transplants for other infants in need before Theresa’s natural death. In fact, even physicians agreed that was a good idea because over 2000 infants need transplants each year. Unfortunately, the state of Florida prohibits euthanasia and that the organs only be removed when natural death occurs. Eventually, within the nine days Baby Theresa organs decayed and were not used because the Circuit Court Judge Estella Moriarty ruled that a Florida statute does not allow a person to be declared dead while any part of the brain is functioning. The judge told the parents: â€Å"I can’t authorize someone to take your baby’s life, however short, however unsatisfying, to save another child. † Which brings me to my first ethical argument, â€Å"It’s wrong to kill†. According to Immanuel Kant and his Kantian deontological theory, the principle of morality and our perfect duties, which one happens to be â€Å"it’s wrong to kill an innocent person†, comes from the categorical imperative. Kant states in the text on page 18 that, â€Å"act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end. † This is basically saying you always respect another person’s dignity. Thus, from a  Kantian standpoint, it is wrong to kill Theresa and take her organs to save others because then they would be using her merely as a means to other infants’ ends. However, to play devils advocate, â€Å"using a person† typically means you are violating their autonomy- their right to live and decide for themselves according to their own desires and values. With that being said, Baby Theresa was not autonomous because she had no consciousness, she had no ability to ever decide what was in her best interest and desire. So, technically, the Judge of the circuit court was not respecting the parents’ dignity of wanting to donate Theresa’s organs. For that reason, D. W Ross’s theory should have been taken into consideration. Indeed, I understand why the judge decided to make the ruling she did because if she did allow the physicians to take Theresa’s life before natural death took its course, it would have possibly undermined all physicians as untrustworthy, which could have ruined the patient-physician relationship. However, even though her ruling was very understandable, an important and very valuable theory should not have been over looked with a case as exceptional as this one, the Prima Facie Duty. W. D Ross explains when to consider this theory on page 23 that, â€Å" to provide a defensible account of â€Å"cases of conscience,† that is, situations that confront us with a conflict of duties. † Meaning when a person is uncertain and unsettled, but still must make a decision, but yet does not know which direction to go, you make a Prima Facie Duty. Ross then went on to explain that, â€Å"a Prima Facie Duty can be overridden by another Prima Facie Duty that in a particular set of circumstances is more stringent. With that being said, the duty of justice and the duty of beneficence can both be applied here because the Judge should have respected the parents’ religion and wishes, in their time of distress, to make their own personal decisions with their daughter by making other beings in the world conditions better. Also, the â€Å"it’s wrong to kill an innocent person† argument can be debated as well. Yes, I agree, it is wrong to kill a person to save another person, but there are exceptions, like what even makes a person, a person? Should Baby Theresa be considered a person? Research shows that all people have minds and all minds are capable of conscious mental activity, which Baby Theresa did not any thoughts or feelings, she was basically just breathing, so she should not have been considered as a person by these terms. Indeed, many infants could have benefitted from Baby Theresa’s organs, leading me to believe that the Utilitarianism theory was the correct approach to take for this case. In fact, when Jeremy Bentham created the Utilitarianism theory, he also made a point to focus on the consequences as much as the positive outcomes, which was called the Hedonistic Calculus. The Hedonistic Calculus is like a compare and contrast graph to weigh out the pleasures and pains of a situation because his main principle was, â€Å"act to promote the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people and less suffering to the less amount of people† and pleasure is the only value in the world based on the hedonism. With this in mind, if the parents were happy with making other families happy by giving their child organs for a good cause without technically harming or killing Baby Theresa, they ought to do so and that is what Ethics is all about, what you ought to do in a dilemma. Where as, on the other hand, by not allowing the organs to be donated for transplants, not only was the Judge dissatisfying Theresa parents wishes, she was possibly causing a larger chain reaction of disappointment and agony to the other families who would have been grateful and appreciative of Theresa organs, rather than allowing them to decay, causing pain to multiple parties. Ultimately, this case is a tricky one because I fully understand both the Kantian Theory plus the Utilitarianism and Consequentialist theory, but I see absolutely no benefits from overriding the parents’ beliefs and wishes of wanting to donate Theresa’s kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, and eyes because overall, many children could have tremendously benefitted from them.

Articles of Confederation vs Constitution Essay

The Articles of Confederation and United States Constitution are two documents that shaped the U.S. government into what it is today. The Articles of Confederation (AOC) was the first Constitution of the United States. Americans soon realized that this document had to be substantially modified because the U.S. needed a stronger government. The AOC was thought of as an ineffective national government document, although there were some strong points. The AOC was ratified in 1781, and replaced by an improved document known as the United States Constitution in 1789. An unknown person once said, â€Å"Perhaps the greatest service rendered by the Articles of Confederation was the impetus its shortcomings gave to those who favored a strong central government.† This is an analytical essay supporting this quote by comparing the strengths, weaknesses, and achievements of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. The AOC gave Congress many powers which included: the right to declare war, develop foreign policy, regulate Native American activity in the territories, coin money, run post offices, borrow money, and appoint military officers. Although the AOC seemed to have a lot of power, there were also several underlying weaknesses and problems that were not initially addressed. As a result the United States Constitution came into action. This document essentially addressed all the underlying problems of the AOC. The AOC did not allow Congress to levy taxes on individuals which the Constitution addressed. The AOC had no federal court system so the Constitution had a dynamic court system in place which was created to deal with issues between citizens and the states. The AOC offered no regulation of trade between states and interstate commerce. The Constitution gave Congress the right to regulate trade between states and control interstate commerce. The AOC had no executive power; the president of the United States simply presided over Congress until the ratification of the Constitution which created the Executive branch. This was designed to give the president a more powerful role in the government. The Executive branch gave the president power to choose his Cabinet members and checks on the power of the judicial and legislative branches. The AOC offered little hope if Congress or the states needed to amend any documents as it called for 100% (13/13) of participants  to agree. The Constitution made it to where a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress, plus a 3/4 vote of state legislatures or national convention could amend a document. In the AOC the representation of states was flawed as it said each state were to receive 1 vote regardless of siz e. The Constitution in turn fixed this by making the upper house (Senate)give each state 2 votes and the lower house (House of Representatives) is based on population. The AOC did not allow Congress to recruit military troops, but was dependent on states to contribute forces. The Constitution allows for Congress to raise an army when needed in military situations. The AOC had a complicated system of arbitration in effect and the Constitution issued federal courts the right to handle disputes. Sovereignty was an issue while the AOC were in place as it resided in the states whereas the Constitution created the supreme law of the land. When passing law the AOC required 9/13 to approve legislation and the Constitution made it majority vote in both houses plus the signature of the President. The AOC faced many challenges and did not maintain order as the United States needed. It essentially did not work for the United States which is why the ratification of it is such a historical outcome of the United States. All these ratifications of the AOC did not come so simple to the United States. There was a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787 to solve the problems of the AOC. It was at this convention that many plans were proposed, and compromises were reached. The weaknesses of the AOC had to be addressed. The first plan introduced by Governor Edmund Randolph, was the Virginia Plan, better known as the Large State Plan, called for a strong national government with bicameral legislation apportioned by population. This plan also called for the lower house to be elected directly by the people and the upper house to be elected by the lower house. This plan as well called for a Chief Executive and a Federal Court system, and it gave Congress the power to tax and regulate interstate commerce. The Large State Plan gave the national government the power to legislate, and gave a proposed national Council of Revision a veto power over state legislatures. The delegates loved the sound of this fundamental reform plan. The Virginia Plan struck opposition among delegates from the smaller states and thus a competing plan, presented by William Patterson, known as the New Jersey  Plan, or Small State Plan, came into action. This plan kept federal powers rather limited and created no new Congress. Instead, the plan enlarged some of the supremacies then held by the Continental Congress. It also called for a plural executive branch and a federal court system like the Virginia Plan. This plan was not as highly sought out as the Virginia Plan, so in turn was rejected which caused the supporters of the Virginia Plan to make amends to the smaller states. This in turn resulted in members of the Senate being elected by the state legislatures. After the Virginia and New Jersey Plan delegate s worked out a series of compromises between these competing plans. The first was The Great Compromise, or the Connecticut Compromise, which resulted in a bicameral legislature: House of Representatives (lower house), which was representation based on population, and the Senate (upper house), which was based on equal representation where each state would have 2 senators selected by the state legislatures. Another compromise reached was The Three-fifths Compromise. This was proposed over the â€Å"counting† of slaves and it determined that slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a vote for both purposes of taxation, and purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. On September 17, 1787, a majority of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention approved the documents over which they had labored since May. To ratify the Constitution it was determined that 9 of the 13 states had to agree to the ratification in order for the new Constitution to go into effect. Although 9 states is all the government needed to ratify the new document, Congress knew it was important to get the support of the large states, New York and Virginia, in order for the new government to be effective. Delaware was the first state to ratify and soon after 4 more states joined in on the ratification. There were those who favored ratification, better known as the Federalists, and those who opposed the ratification, known as Anti-federalists. The Federalists fought back and convinced the states that rejection of the Constitution would result in anarchy and civil strife. The Anti-federalists argued against the ratification that the delegates in Philadelphia had exceeded their congressional authority by replacing the AOC with an illegal new document. Others protested that the delegates in Philadelphia represent only the noble few, and thus hand crafted a document that saved their special interests and set aside the franchise for the propertied classes. The Anti-federalists  also argued that the Constitution would give too much power to the central government at the expense of the states, and that a representative government could not manage a republic as large as the United States. The biggest objection by the Anti-federalists was the Constitutional Convention had failed to adopt a Bill of Rights. The Federalists believed that the Constitution was so constrained that it posed no threat to the rights of citizens. It was clear in order to get the remainder of the states on the ratification side that the government had to put a Bill of Rights in place. The Federalist assured the public that the first step of the new government would adopt a Bill of Rights. Soon after, The Federalist Papers were written by John Jay and Alexander Hamilton of New York, and James Madison of Virginia. This document encouraged the ratification of the Constitution. These papers circulated through New York and other states and soon after ratification passed in the New York and Virginia state conventions. The last and final state to ratify the Constitution was Rhode Island. After it was faced with threatened treatment as a foreign government, it passed ratification of May 29, 1790.

Political Violence in Rwanda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political Violence in Rwanda - Essay Example But understanding the historical context of this horrible phenomenon would evidently show that the root cause of the political violence tearing apart Rwanda goes back to its colonization by Western powers, which institutionalized racist doctrines to their advantage. II Historical Context: Rooting-out the Political Violence Rwanda, a small nation belonging to Africa’s Great Lakes region – considered to be among the most intense conflict zones in the world – has shocked the world not because of its dire poverty but because of the intensity of the political violence that erupted between the majority of its own people – the Hutus and Tutsis (Merlino, par. 1-2). At first glance, this could be understood simply as another ethnic violence, but historical facts would strongly dispute such characterization. In a study ordered by the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), Shyaka showed that the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa communities in Rwanda started not as e thnic groups, tribes or races because they share common culture and language, and live in the same territory, as they all belong to one unique ethnic group in Rwanda known as the Banyarwanda, which during the pre-colonial period served one monarch – the â€Å"Umwami.† Neither can they also be classified as social classes because they were all socially stratified. Instead, Rwandan identity was defined by their clan or lineage, which also implies their economic status. Furthermore, these communities were better distinguished by their expertise (eg. Hutus were known farmers; Tutsis, cattle breeders; and Twas, fishermen, hunters and potters). However, this identification had been deconstructed by European colonizers, who stripped off Rwandan society of its intrinsic values and imposed those which served colonial interest and who sharply racialized Rwandan people into opposing ethnicities, done through mythical and ideological construction using the Hamitic theory. Thus in the colonial period, Rwandan society was organized hierarchically into three antagonistic races: the minority Tutsis (9-14%) as the superior conquering race had become the privileged candidates to assist colonizers; the majority Hutus (85-90%) as the inferior Bantu race had become the dominated; and the Twas (1%) as the pygmoids. Such distinction created resentment and frustration on the part of the majority Hutus, while arrogance on the part of the minority Tutsis, alienating them from each other and making them easily colonized. In fact, European colonizers played them off whenever it works best to their colonial interest. (7-19) Succeeding events from 1950s onwards (Revolution of1959-1961, 1963-64, and Coup d'etat 1972-1973) were characterized by Hutu power ideology – annihilate Tutsis being the cause of Hutu sufferings, deeply polarizing Rwanda society. This erosion of middle ground tragically marked Rwanda’s decolonization and early postcolonial politics, which wo uld later culminate to the 1994 genocide. (Newbury and Newbury 7) III Local and International Conditions Exacerbating Political Violence The confluence of events in the local and international level exacerbated the enmity between Tutsis and Hutus leading to the 1994 genocide. First, the shift of political power from the oppressor (Tutsi) to the oppressed (Hutu) in the postcolonial Rwanda did not in any way improve but instead worsened their antagonism, as Hutus, instigated by the colonial power,

Sonny's Blues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sonny's Blues - Essay Example On the other hand, Sonny’s brother is an upright math teacher and a family man. Though, he always steers clear of trouble but feels trapped in Harlem and yet, chooses to remain passive about it. Sonny’s character depicts restlessness and even though Sonny’s brother too experiences that restlessness they both have different ways of exhibiting them and coping with such feelings. 2. What are the conflicts in the story (internal and external)? The entire story depicts various conflicts both the narrator and the protagonist face and eventually pave their paths in life. The conflicts that sonny and the narrator are constantly battling with are the feeling of being trapped in Harlem and their estranged relationship with each other. They both understand the problems they have faced throughout their lives, but due to the fact that none of them truly took the time to share and divulge their feelings to one another, none of them could truly understand each other. Moreover, Sonny’s older brother had taken up the responsibility of looking after his brother after his mother died but due to the way he turned out, the narrator was always suffering from this guilt.

Research Topics with Explanations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Topics with Explanations - Assignment Example Furthermore, the existence of various regulations regarding the use of cell phones especially while driving in the various states in the country is a major cause of confusion. As such, the research investigates the nature of the regulations in various states and analyzing the effects of such disparities. The audience for the research will include road users and legislators who make laws in the country. The research argues that standardizing the regulations will enhance uniformity thereby improving road safety (Sturnquist, 2006). The outbreak of measles in numerous states within the United States has been a major source of concern for both parents and legislators. The refusal by most parents to take their children for vaccination further heightens the safety concern especially in such public places as schools among any others (Link, 2005). The research investigates the most probable ways of encouraging and compelling parents to take their children for the vaccination (Wells, 1984). The audiences for the research are school administrators, parents and legislators among many other interested parties (Levine, 1997). The research argues that the government should adopt a radical measure such as banning unvaccinated pupils from attending public schools. The United States is the leading democracy and economy globally. Additionally, the country is a leading champion for the improvement of the treatment of such vulnerable groups as children, women and the LGBT community. As such, the country has a role to play in encouraging the adoption of fair labor laws globally (Jackson & Management Information Service, 1985). The adoption of fair labor laws is the surest way of enhancing the economic freedom of such communities. Such laws protect employees thereby creating a conducive environment for the employees to work and enhance their productivity. The research investigates the appropriate ways for the American

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL, the trial and death of socrates book Essay

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL, the trial and death of socrates book - Essay Example t or wrong - acting the part of a good man or of a bad.† (Plato, 48) Socrates believed that danger and fear of death are irrelevant from a moral standpoint and he provides significant illustrations from the Greek epics, suggesting that Achilles never had any thought of death and danger. A man ought to remain in the place which he has chosen or that in which he has been placed by a commander at hour of danger and he should not think of death or of anything, except about disgrace or shame. Socrates condemns danger and fear of death as the source of all unwise deeds and they lead one to disgraceful or shameful deeds in life. â€Å"For this fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of knowing the unknown; since no one knows whether death, which they in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good. Is there not here conceit of knowledge, which is a disgraceful sort of ignorance?† (Plato, 49) In shor t, Socrates provides convincing description and illustrations for the â€Å"virtuous life†, danger and fear of death, and â€Å"shame†. According to Socrates, the laws of Athens will be damaged if he escapes his death sentence and he provides striking reasons for claiming so. Socrates believes that a State cannot subsist and be overthrown, if the decisions of law have no power, but are set aside and overthrown by individuals. Every citizen of Athens, especially a clever rhetorician as Socrates, should have a good awareness of the evil of setting aside the law which requires a sentence to be carried out. Socrates believes that he has been in an important contract or agreement with the laws of Athens according to which he should abide by the sentence of the State. Thus, he fears the contempt of the state for not obeying this contract. â€Å"Tell us what complaint you have to make against us which justifies you in attempting to destroy us and the State? †¦ Has a philosopher like you failed to discover