Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay Essay Example

Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay Essay Travelodge is the first budget hotel launched in 1985 in UK. It operates 380 hotels with 26,500 room in the UK. Travelodge is be aftering to turn 1000 more hotels by 2020. It employs above 5500 people and 87 % of the engagement are made online. The UK hotel market is estimated around 700,000 suites ( beginning: Melvyn Gold, Qualification of serviced adjustment supply in UK , December 2007 ) UK hotel market is segmented chiefly into four classs, Brander full service which has 14 % of the market portion, branded budget 12 % branded mid market 62 % and unbranded mugwumps 62 % .the current economic environment has seen addition in bead out of unbranded mugwumps and people prefer to book with branded budget due to web coverage, trade name strength strong balance sheet and distribution. We will write a custom essay sample on Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Travelodge And Budget Hotels In The Uk Tourism Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Grant Hearn, Travelodge CEO, commented: 2008 was another record twelvemonth of growing for the Travelodge trade name with over 19 % gross growing . Room sold increased by 9 per centum to 6 million The growing of Travelodge has been unbelievable but company faced a few challenges and one of the major challenge company is confronting is overbooking. Overbooking is one of the of import gross direction tool in hotels operation direction to run efficaciously and heighten profitableness. Gross Management is seen as an of import technique in the hotels operation and hence to maximise their grosss, hotels are progressively implementing Revenue Management patterns ( Hwang and Wen, 2009 ) . As a effect of implementing such systems, many companies in the service sector such as hotels consistently overbook capacity in order to maximise the gross at one peculiar point in clip ( Wangenheim and Bayon, 2007 ) . If overbooking is non implemented right it can ensue in loss of room gross, loss of hotel repute, decreased client trueness and lessening hotels profitableness. This study discusses the chief features of overbooking and its impact on the company in theoretical and practical prospective. Theoretical penetrations of overbooking One of the cardinal constructs in Revenue Management is overbooking. The pattern of overbooking can be defined as corroborating more reserves than the hotels available physical capacity to supply the service. ( Ivanov, 2006 ; Ivanov, 2007 ; Chiang et Al 2007 ; McGill, new wave Ryzin,1999 ; Kamath, Bhosale, Manjrekar,2008 ) . Hence, the aim of overbooking is to better the expected net income and alternatively of selling each room one time, net income can be increased by selling it several times ( Birkenheuer, 2009 ) . In fact, overbooking as an built-in portion of Revenue Management has received important attending from literature. From a historical position, overbooking is present in the surveies of Falkson ( 1969 ) , Simon ( 1968 ) , Vickrey ( 1972 ) and many others. The major aim of these surveies was to sketch a control pattern for cancellations. Nowadays, overbooking has become an emerging affair in industries with perishable merchandises. It yields considerable impacts on companies public presentation. In footings of the cordial reception industry, the profitableness of hotels is mostly dependent on their use of capacity. Conversely, demand for suites and extensions of stay are really unstable and are difficult to foretell ( new wave Ryzin, 2005 ) . Hoteliers are challenged by how to find the business of suites for clients who are financially unequal and meanwhile maintain a stable rate of demand given the difficult to foretell fortunes ( Okumus, 2004 ) . This is all possible utilizing overbooking, which enables proper allotment of resources and optimisation of gross revenues. However, maximising the figure of sold suites per dark can non be easy accomplished. One of the most ambitious undertakings of the hotel operation direction is to cover with the unpredictable nature of the clients, because non all booked reserves will turn into existent service ingestion ( Lai et al, 2005 ) . To this terminal overbooking may imply a company from the cordial reception industry non being able to function all its clients decently because of lower figure of ab initio expected people that do non look as agreed. In this regard, overbooking may hold both positive and negative impact. On the one manus, it may ensue in refusal to supply a service, but on the other, it can besides take the signifier of compensation for those booking agents, who can non have the value bundle they have agreed on and paid for ( Kimes and Wagner, 2001 ) . From their practical experience directors know that all non engagements confirmed for a peculiar day of the month will be truly used ( Ivanov, 2006 ) . There are several possible scenarios that can do this. Despite of their reserves, because of different fortunes some invitees cancel their stay and end their reserves, some does non call off their engagement but fail to demo up, or other invitees cut down their stay and as a consequence the room remains unsold and therefore capacity non use is lost everlastingly ( Ivanov, 2006, Talluri et Al, 2004 ; Chiang et Al, 2007 ; Hung, 2004 ; Bitran ; Leon, 1989 ) . Therefore hotels adopt overbooking in order to protect against losingss with no-shows and to countervail the consequence of cancellations and shortened corsets ( Hwang and Wen, 2009 ; Kamath et Al, 2008 ; Selmi, 2008 ; Chiang et Al 2007 ; Hung, 2004 ; Sulistio, Kim, and Buyya, 2008 ) . Impacts of overbooking on hotels operation direction Apart from the chance of the hotel to minimise the consequence of reserve uncertainnesss there are possibilities the figure of cancellations and no shows to be less so the figure of overbookings, so some of the clients will non be accommodated and should be walked to other hotels ( Ivanov, 2006 ) . Therefore, if a hotel decides to use overbooking in its operations it should pull off carefully non merely the chance cost of the unsold room but besides the overbooking costs for alternate hotel adjustment and transit that the hotel has to pay in order to counterbalance a client in instance of overbooking ( Ivanov, 2006 ; Hung, 2004 ) . Besides the apparent fiscal costs happening in instance of walking a invitee holding already booked, costs the lost hotel s good will and repute and the hazards of dissatisfaction, loss of trust, loss of future client trueness are much more expensive for the hotel ( Selmi, 2007 ) . Overbooking policy and control Harmonizing to Selmi ( 2007 ) , the hazard of client refusal appears if the overbooking is no accomplished exactly . In this respect, Kimes ( 1989 ) emphasized on the importance of a clearly stated overbooking policy within the hotel operation direction. The aim of overbooking policy and control is to happen an optimum overbooking degree to maximise the expected gross and to minimise the possible hazard of denied service ( Chiang et al 2007 ) . Netessine and Shumsky ( 2002 ) as cited by Ivanov ( 2006 ; 2007 ) proposed a basic mathematical theoretical account for ciphering the optimum figure of overbookings and harmonizing to his findings the optimum overbooking degree is reciprocally related to the sum of cancellation charges applied the closer the cancellation charge to the room rate, the lower the lost benefit from the unoccupied room and the less stimuli to overbook . In instance of presence of guaranteed and non-guaranteed engagements, Ivanov ( 2007 ) suggests that the optimum figure of overbookings has to be set individually for each type. Alternatively, harmonizing to Hung ( 2004 ) factors that could be considered while puting overbooking bounds include: chances of cancellation and no-show ; room demand distribution over clip and conditions of length of stay ; stay extension chances influenced by the intended length of stay. Furthermore Hung ( 2004 ) assumes that the proportion of cancellations depends on the client class, intended length of stay, twenty-four hours of hebdomad of first stay over, and clip until first stay over. Impact of overbooking on client behaviour Harmonizing to Talluri et Al ( 2004 ) overbooking is often cited in client ailments and remains the primary beginning of dissatisfaction. Furthermore, consequences of an experiment made by Wangenheim and Bayon ( 2007 ) confirm that the pattern of overbooking is likely to be perceived as unjust by service clients. Wangenheim and Bayon ( 2007 ) analyze behavioural effects of the equity towards overbooking by suggesting and corroborating several hypotheses. Harmonizing to their research the negative effects of service failure originating from overbooking are stronger for the high position client than for the low position clients and hence, hotelkeepers have to carefully overbook its high-values categories . Additionally, Wangenheim and Bayon ( 2007 ) stress on the importance that if a hotel ignores the log-run behaviour effects of overbooking, this may take to negative effects on its operations. One such negative effect is proposed to be a client who faces a denied service due to overbooking and still remains hotels client because of either high fixed exchanging barriers or current trueness rank plans. However, in response to the service failure the client may set its investing into the exchange relationship non merely by diminishing the figure of gross revenues, but besides by seeking to take advantage of price reduction offers or buying lower degree services from the hotel ( Wangenheim and Bayon, 2007 ) . On the other manus, Hwang and Wen ( 2009 ) analyze the consequence of the sensed equity toward hotels overbooking and compensation patterns by analyzing clients reactions toward hotel overbooking. Some of their most critical findings from this survey are that adult females are more likely than work forces to experience that overbooking is unjust , clients perceptual experiences to the equity of overbooking is non affected by other client variables including length of stay, rank position, remunerator beginning, reserve channel, and reserve clip ; participants perceived equity toward the hotel s overbooking and compensation policies were strongly correlated with positive viva-voce promotion. One of the most of import consequences of the research shows that the sensed equity of the participants toward the hotel s compensation policy is related to their trueness. Therefore, Hwang and Wen ( 2009 ) propose that hotels should see planing compensations that help positively influence cli ents perceived fairness toward overbooking and that encourage clients on-going backing and trueness. In a decision, issues like finding the optimum figure of extra reserves, minimising compensation cost, and covering with the negative effects from clients confronting a denied service are considered as the most ambitious countries of the pattern of overbooking and every hotel endeavoring to maximise its profitableness should non undervalue them ( Sulistio, Kim, and Buyya, 2008 ) . Practical Deductions of overbooking As the cordial reception industry is germinating, hotel proprietors and hotel directors are invariably seeking to update their attacks in order to accomplish optimum allotment of resources. Novelli, Schmitz and Spencer ( 2006 ) have discovered that hotelkeepers make every attempt to use modern-day engineerings in their concern. By this deduction, hotel directors and proprietors do non merely prolong competitory advantage, but besides create new merchandises and services. In position of this, it can be concluded that execution of new engineerings that create new merchandises is a technological invention ( Evangelista, 1999 ) . On the other manus, the execution of advanced engineerings to a service company can hold a important influence in footings of operational efficiency ( Freeman and Soete, 1997 ) . Additionally, Porter ( 1990 ) supports the latter thesis by foregrounding that the public presentation of a company is extremely dependent on new engineerings. In position of technological inventions today many hotels recognize the importance of overbooking pattern and therefore its execution has become by and large recognized measure toward hotels successful operations. The practical application of Revenue Management and Overbooking incorporates the undermentioned built-in elements ( Vinod, 2004 ) : Figure 1 Revenue Management application Degree centigrades: UsersamadDesktopCapture.JPG Beginning: Vinod, B. ( 2004 ) , Journal of Revenue A ; Pricing Management Market cleavage: Segmenting clients harmonizing to their penchants and disbursement forms is a must to do certain the most appropriate clients with absolutely fitted properties are sold the proper suites that can maximise grosss ( Oliveira, 2003 ) . Specifying rate categories ( stock list pooling ) : Involves making groups of the bing rates that close in footings of value ( Vinod, 2004 ) . Demand prediction: demand prediction is indispensable to find room tenancy. In the context of Revenue Management it is of import as it can command tenancy utilizing the information of length of stay. This can be achieved by possessing informations on rate category demand and continuance of stay ( Vinod, 2004 ) . Supply prediction: earlier and late check-out procedures can besides find room tenancy, which is an component besides involved in Revenue Management. Overbooking control: encompasses gross revenues of suites transcending the maximal available figure of suites to countervail for no shows and cancellations. However, there are some hazards associated with overbooking as it may ensue in grudges from unsated clients who have received an inappropriate room. In such instances hotelkeepers offer compensations and periphery benefits ( Smith, 1982 ) . Harmonizing to Vinod ( 1992 ) Revenue Management can convey 20 % of the entire grosss. Revenue mix control and exclusion processing: involves be aftering of import hereafter day of the months with discretion and fiting them with overbooking degrees ( Vinod, 2004 ) . Performance measuring and direction coverage: closely size uping the Revenue Management processes is indispensable to track down the information quality and future be aftering footing. However, in order to take a hotel into a victorious way, overbooking has to be managed and controlled really carefully. Ivanov ( 2006 ) defines the direction of overbooking as a set of managerial techniques and activities connected with uninterrupted planning, reserve and control and he outlined two chief groups of activities that should be performed in the day-to-day hotel operation. The hotel directors should on one manus, to specify an optimum figure of overbookings for each day of the month and continuously to modify it harmonizing to the market alterations of the hotel and the specific demand and booking spiels and on the other manus, to pull off carefully determinations and operational activities related with walking invitees with overbookings. In this respect, Ivanov ( 2006 ) proposes that factors such as length of stay, suites rates and client position have to be considered by hotel directors while covering with walking a invitee with confirmed reserve. Additionally, Kimes ( 1989 ) analyzes several managerial concerns indispensable for an effectual overbooking pattern and states that top direction can non presume tha t Revenue Management will merely go on, it requires careful planning and preparation . Therefore employees have to be intensively trained in order to clearly understand the purpose and features of overbooking. Furthermore, employees who are straight covering with overbooking determinations have to be sporadically trained how to act in possible client struggles and to take their ain determinations in an unfamiliar state of affairs ( Ivanov, 2006 ) . In order to be minimized the possible client dissatisfaction in instance of overbooking, it is critical for the hotel to set up service recovery programmes with standardised processs and to do employees to be cognizant and follow them ( Ivanov, 2006 ) For a profitable applied overbooking in the cordial reception industry, hotels must understand non merely consumers behaviour but besides to see the impact of competition and the presently economic state of affairs that imposes important supply and demand fluctuations. As hotels compete with each other in order to pull more clients, Revenue Management determinations of one hotel necessarily act upon the demand for other hotels in the same part or country. However, recent tendencies propose that hotels should join forces with is rivals that consequence in increased figure of formed confederations with each other to maximise their gross ( Chiang et al, 2007 ) Revenue Management s challenges in the cordial reception industry As explained before, Revenue Management finds application to two important industries: cordial reception and air hose. The first one, nevertheless, is much more complex in footings of industry impregnation and suites direction. This creates hurdlings for the optimu m operation of Revenue Management techniques. In the hotel industry Revenue Management can be applied either locally or via centralised system. The 2nd one involves garnering informations and taking determinations from a focal site for other belongingss. In pattern merely a limited figure of hotels and hotel ironss are able to pull off centralized informations processing and hence the bulk of participants on the cordial reception industry opt for belongings based Revenue Management. Recommendations for future research Despite of the acknowledged importance of overbooking as one the most effectual successful Revenue Management techniques used in hotel operation and widely discussed subject in research literature, there are no current surveies discoursing the overbooking direction of Bulgarian hotels and its impact on their operation. Therefore, future research may concentrate on the possible application of Revenue Management techniques to the Bulgarian cordial reception industry. Future surveies may besides concentrate on the demand side of Bulgarian touristry as the state has witnessed fluctuating visitant rates during the past two decennaries despite the turning net incomes generated by the peculiar industry. Decisions In order to last in the ferocious competition and to bring forth more gross while utilizing the same sum of resorts it is necessary and critical to the hotels operation direction to utilize efficaciously its reserve stock list and to increase its tenancy rate ( Hung, 2004 ) . Revenue Management techniques and the theoretical accounts of overbooking if applied suitably would maximise the grosss of hotels ( Kamath et al, 2008 ) . However, the possibilities of client dissatisfaction, and hazard of loss of repute because of denied service, force many hotels to avoid the pattern of overbooking. Therefore, before hotel directors to deicide whether or non to implement overbooking they should first see what Birkenheuer ( 2009 ) explained the best appraisal of hazard and chance will supply the best net income . In this survey we have outlined the dynamic nature of service industries and have demonstrated the importance of Revenue Management and most notably one of its most important facets overbooking. We have narrowed the range of this research down to the cordial reception industry and have found major differences in the demand patterns towards such companies in the former industry. Some clients prefer flexible cancellation footings, while others are non much attentive to that. Hoteliers offer differential pricing to their ain advantage to fudge against fluctuating demand. We have besides found that permutation is one of the most effectual method of pull offing overbooking patterns, but yet a cost/benefit analysis must be performed in order to track down the existent effects. Basically, within the current dynamic determination doing state of affairs in the cordial reception industry, overbooking degrees have been found to hold important gross maximising belongingss. In position of this, through this survey we have discovered some of the main direction aims that could be achieved through overbooking in the model of Revenue Management: net income maximization ; capa city allotment ; maximization of mean gross per client ; maximization of net present value ; and minimisation of client grudges. Finally, as cordial reception industry on a planetary graduated table is a aggregate volume-driven concern, overbooking has become an emerging subject as vacant suites do non convey any net incomes. However, possibly even more important remains the job how to pull off client letdown, in instances they can non be relocated to similar hotels as a consequence of overbooking.

Cómo recuperar impuestos pagados en EE.UU. por turistas

Cà ³mo recuperar impuestos pagados en EE.UU. por turistas En Estados Unidos, los turistas internacionales pueden recuperar los impuestos que pagaron por sus compras pequeà ±as en solo dos –Louisiana y Texas. Adems, cinco estados – Delaware, Alaska, Nuevo Hampshire, Montana y Oregà ³n  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ no cobran impuesto a las ventas, por lo que deben tenerse en consideracià ³n a la hora de decidir en quà © estado comprar si se quiere ahorrar en impuestos. Cabe destacar que como en EE.UU. los impuestos sobre las ventas no es una competencia del gobierno federal no es posible para un turista internacional reclamar lo pagado en este concepto cuando sale del paà ­s, sino que se ha de ajustar a las reglas de cada estado. Es decir, hay una gran diferencia en este aspecto en relacià ³n a otros paà ­ses, por ejemplo, a la recuperacià ³n del VAT cuando un turista no comunitario sale de un paà ­s de la Unià ³n Europea. Puntos Clave: cà ³mo pueden los turistas reclamar un tax refund en EE.UU. Estados Unidos es, despuà ©s de Francia y Espaà ±a, el paà ­s que ms turistas internacionales recibe anualmente.Estados Unidos es el paà ­s donde los turistas internacionales ms dinero gastan.El impuesto a las ventas no es competencia federal, por lo que o es posible reclamarlo al salir del paà ­s.Solamente dos estados –Louisiana y Texas– reintegran el impuesto a las ventas a los turistas internacionales.En algunos estados es posible recuperar el impuesto a las ventas en compras mayores como, por ejemplo, yates, autos o camiones.En 16 estados existen vacaciones de impuesto a las ventas por 3, 5 à ³ 7 dà ­as. Texas Tax Back o cà ³mo reclamar en ese estado el reembolso del impuesto a las ventas En Texas el impuesto a las ventas es, con carcter general, del 6,25 por ciento. Sin embargo, ciudades y condados pueden incrementarlo de tal modo que puede llegar a pagarse un mximo del 8,25 por ciento de impuesto. Texas es junto a Louisiana los à ºnicos estados que permiten reclamar la devolucià ³n del pago de impuesto por compras menores como electrà ³nica, ropa, juguetes, etc. Para que un turista extranjero pueda presentar la solicitud de un tax refund por sus compras en el estado de Texas debe cumplir con los siguientes requisitos: Pasaporte de otro paà ­sVisa vlida o pertenecer a  Programa de Exencià ³n de Visas (VWP)Un I-94 vlido, que se puede imprimir onlinePresentarse en un Tax Refund CenterPresentar los recibos de las compras realizadas en los à ºltimos 30 dà ­asBoleto de avià ³n de salida de Estados Unidos o itinerarioLa tarjeta de crà ©dito con la que se efectuaron las comprasLa mercancà ­a de las  compras realizadas Adems, hay que tener en cuenta que solamente se admiten los recibos de tiendas que participan en el programa. Por ejemplo, Macy ´s, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Victoria ´s Secret, etc. Antes de comprar se puede consultar la lista completa de establecimientos partà ­cipes. Asimismo, para que los recibos puedan calificar para la devolucià ³n de impuestos es necesario pagar en cada tienda un mà ­nimo de 10 dà ³lares de impuestos.   El dinero ser reembolsado de una de las dos siguientes maneras: en primer lugar, se puede escoger un tax refund al momento, pero se paga una comisià ³n que puede llegar a ser la mitad del importe. En segundo lugar, en un plazo de seis u ocho semanas, mediante depà ³sito a la cuenta de Paypal del turista o mediante envà ­o de un cheque o reembolso a la tarjeta de crà ©dito. Los Tax Refund Centers pueden encontrarse en centros comerciales, outlets, aeropuertos e incluso grandes almacenes como Macy ´s. La gestià ³n llevar aproximadamente unos treinta  minutos. Finalmente, cabe destacar que el Texas Tax Back, que es la institucià ³n del gobierno estatal que maneja estos trmites, cobra 3 dà ³lares por la gestià ³n ms el 2,75% del total de las compras. Devolucià ³n de impuestos a turistas internacionales en Louisiana En este estado sureà ±o el impuesto a las ventas general es del 4,45 por ciento sobre el valor de la cosa o servicio comprado. Sin embargo, con el sobrecargo de ciudades o condados pueden llegar a un mximo del 11,45 por ciento. Las reglas para los turistas internacionales para obtener el reintegro de los impuestos son distintas a las de Texas . En Louisiana los requisitos son los siguientes: Compra en tiendas en programa Louisiana Tax Free Shopping.Mostrar pasaporte extranjero en momento de la compraSolicitar el folleto tax refund voucher Para obtener el reembolso los turistas deben presentarse en un Refund Center en el Aeropuerto internacional Louis Armstrong  de Nueva Orleans, el The Riverwalk Marketplace, en el banco Capital One en Lafayette y Shreveport. Al acudir en persona a los Refund Centers los vouchers entregados en cada una de las tiendas participantes en las que se hicieron compras, el pasaporte extranjero con visa vigente a menos que se pertenezca a un paà ­s en el VWP. En todo caso es imprescindible estar legalmente como turista en el paà ­s. Finalmente, debe mostrarse el ticket de avià ³n ida y vuelta para estancia en EE.UU. por un mximo de 90 dà ­as. Los reintegros de menos de 500 dà ³lares se entregarn al momento en efectivo. Por cantidades mayores se enviarn por cheque al domicilio del turista en su paà ­s de residencia. Finalmente, tambià ©n es posible solicitarlo por correo electrà ³nico escribiendo a LTFSrefunfinfobellsouth.net y seguir las instrucciones sobre adà ³nde enviar los recibos. Estados con vacaciones del impuesto a las ventas Ni en todo los estados se paga el mismo porcentaje de impuesto a las ventas, ni los mismos artà ­culos son gravados en todos los estados que tienen este tipo de impuestos. Adems, 16 estados tienen todos los aà ±os vacaciones del impuesto a las ventas, conocido en inglà ©s como sales tax holidays. Durante esas vacaciones, entre 3 o 7 dà ­as, no se pagan impuestos cada vez que se compra un artà ­culo incluido en la lista de cada estado y por el importe mximo autorizado. Est pensado para los residentes locales, pero tambià ©n pueden beneficiarse los turistas internacionales. Entre los artà ­culos incluidos en esas vacaciones destacan ropa, material escolar, electrà ³nica, computadores, electrodomà ©sticos eficientes y materiales de preparacià ³n para eventos como huracanes. Tax refunds para turistas internacionales cuando se compran autos, yates, etc Las reglas dependen de cada estado e, incluso, de detalles precisos del negocio. Por esta razà ³n se recomienda consultar directamente con la autoridad impositiva del estado en el que se realice la compra. Es tambià ©n una buena prctica asesorarse con un fiscalista de buena reputacià ³n con experiencia en exportaciones. Por à ºltimo, siempre es conveniente hacer las cuentas sobre si sale realmente ms barato al comprar en EE.UU. porque en artà ­culos como autos o yates si no se paga en ese paà ­s, se paga impuesto de importacià ³n en el paà ­s del turista. Consejos para turistas que disfrutan comprar en EE.UU. Si se viaja a Nueva York una de las formas de comprar barato ropa y accesorios de marca es enterndose de dà ³nde se realizan los sample sales. Y si el interà ©s de un turista internacional es comprar una propiedad como inversià ³n o para disfrutarla en cualquier parte de los Estados Unidos puede hacerlo pero es recomendable que conozco quà © comportamientos podrà ­an poner en peligro su visa de paseo. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal para ningà ºn caso concreto.

Military Industrial Complex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Military Industrial Complex - Essay Example vast proportions†¦ The total influence – economic, political, even spiritual – is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government†¦ In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. (Eisenhower, 1961) What this Eisenhower speech underscored was that the link between economics and war is a real one especially that the connection operates in contemporary capitalist society through money- making and globalization. Hence, its influence crept up to the highest echelon of the government influencing policy-making to the extent of war-mongering in order to profit. Unfortunately, Eisenhower’s warning is starting to be lost amid the rapid and numerous economic and political developments not just in America but in the global stage. This is not surprising at all. The highly capitalist society of the US and its dominance in the world stage tempered this issue that today, only the left-wing critics tend to advance the cause against the military industrial complex. Indeed, according to the imminent economist, Joseph Schumpeter (1991), the orientation toward war is mainly fostered by the domestic interests of ruling classes and the influence of those who stand to gain individually from a war policy. (p. 188) After the Second World War, the US was the unrivaled power throughout the capitalist world. In addition, the US provided a military security for the West with the existence of a credible threat embodied by the USSR. However, in the 1970s the Soviet Union collapsed and the US security umbrella was no longer needed. The US power began a long decline as the economies in Europe and Japan recovered. This was alarming since according to Richard Appelbaum and William Robinson (2005), the MIC is the structural heart of the US superpower status. (p. 141)

Formal specification of non-functional properties in component Research Paper

Formal specification of non-functional properties in component software engineering - Research Paper Example Component-based software engineering (CBSE) is observed as the best example of such technique (Chen, 2004). It assists in handling the intricacy through following a divide-and-conquer tactic, modularizing huge software schemes into smaller, reusable elements called (software) units. CBSE is believed to be chiefly effective in the background of what is referred to as unit markets, where units are established by autonomous third party establishers and purchased by application contractors to be organized into full applications. If the elements are to be bartered on component markets, they have to be escorted by a specific illustration of all of their pertinent properties (Lamanna, 2002). Element developers must articulate such an illustration without understanding the background in which their elements will be employed. Conversely, it has to be clear to the application contractors and has to be achievable for them to create specifications of distinct elements and rationalize about possessions of the ultimate system. For instance, application contractors need to acknowledge whether an application constructed from some set of elements (Bechhofer, 2005). These elements are organized on a system with reliable amount of present resources will accomplish the required execution goals, how much network bandwidths or memory will be devoured or whether data value will meet the needed benchmark. Thesis statement The ultimate aim of this report is to examine the concept of formal specification of non-functional properties in component software engineering. This entails reviewing the entire aspect of software development and looks at the specification languages that already exist as well as examining the component forms related to specification languages . The paper then examines the problems statement and the research plan then winds up with a conclusion. Literature Review General Concept of Software Development The following diagram (figure 1) provides an indication of the general software development procedure for non-functional characteristics. The main concept of approach is the division of measurement description usage meaning that precision of non-functional characteristics of applications using those gauges. A measurement refers to something that is practical to a system and produces quality value for the scheme being gauged (Chen, 2004). Examples of measurements are d elay, response time et cetera. Measurements are mostly described in relation to a contextual model which defines the concepts of an application system that has to be recognized in order to develop the measurement value. Therefore, dimension can be described autonomously as a real practical system. To employ measurements to a practical system, a mapping between the component model of the practical scheme and the context model of the measurement must be illustrated. The descriptions of measurements can be sophisticated, but on the other hand, it will be developed only a single time. Thus, the roles of dimension designer and practical designer must be put apart in the development process. According to Heiko  Ludwig 2004, their joint efforts directs to a precision of the system encompassing its non-functional characteristics (Bechhofer, 2005). The measurement modeler employs a graphical notation centered on the specification language CQML+ [2] and notions from [3] to identify measurem ents and their context designs (Zschaler, 2008). Ludwig adds on that designer can then described distinct

Transforming the balanced scorecard Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Transforming the balanced scorecard - Coursework Example tion view intangible assets as a source of competitive advantage as opposed to the view of the 19th century and early 20th-century firms (Kaplan and Norton 88). The Balanced Scorecard was introduced to provide a new framework for describing value-creating strategies that link tangible and intangible assets. It describes how to mobilize and combine intangible and tangible assets to develop differentiating customer-value offering and superior financial results. The program has helped over 200 executive teams. It allows the strategy to emerge from meetings and consultations with the senior executives. Then a general framework for describing and implementing the strategy known as the strategy map is developed. It creates a common and comprehensible point of reference for the company (Kaplan and Norton 92). Apart from its industrial application, Balanced Scorecard has also been adopted by non-profit and government organizations (NPGOs), however, it faces the challenge of a strategy that has not been clearly defined. It is important for the class to note that the Balance Scorecard is not just about performance measurement. It has evolved to become the organizing framework, for a new strategic management system. Its adoption has been observed to deliver good result. The Balanced Scorecard provides a recipe to combine with what exists in the organization for long-term value creation. The following points will be in class; strategic maps, other forms of performance measurement, Balanced Scorecard and NPGOs and beyond performance management (Kaplan and Norton

Impact of the Dollar Currency Base Metal on India

Impact of the Dollar Currency Base Metal on India Abstract: Currency Future is a future contract in which specified currency can be bought or sell at pre determined price and date. In developed nations like US and UK the currency price increment impact on physical trading volume, it decrease it on currency price increment and increase it on currency price decrement. Like this, same thing happened in developing nations. In India the base metals prices so much impacted due to currency future price volatility. In India, the currency future trading was started on 29th Aug. 2008 in National Stock Exchange (NSE), in Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) on 7th Oct. 2008 and in Bombay Stock Exchange on 1st Oct. 2008. The objective of this paper is to measure the correlation of base metals with currency future trading i.e. US $. This research paper is an attempt to consider the investor behaviour regarding currency future trading in India. Some factors which have been considered for research are currency future, base metals and price movement in upward or i n downward side. The results are analyzed with the help of statistical tools and techniques. Introduction Currency Futures means a standardised foreign exchange derivatives contract traded on a recognised stock exchange to buy or sell one currency against another on a specified future date, at a price specified on the date of contract, but does not include a forward contract. Currency derivatives can be described as contracts between sellers and buyers whose values are derived from the underlying which in this case is the exchange rate. Currency Derivatives are mostly designed for hedging purposes, although they are also used as instruments for speculation. Currency Derivatives i.e. Currency Future are standardised in terms of contract sizes, trading parameters settlement procedures and traded on regulated exchange. The contract size is fixed and is referred to as lot size. Future contract are traded through exchanges, the settlement of the contract is guaranteed by the exchange or clearing corporation and hence there is no counter party risk. In INDIA the currency future trading was started on 29th Aug. 2008 in National Stock Exchange (NSE), in Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) on 7th Oct. 2008 and in Bombay Stock Exchange on 1st Oct. 2008. Currency Future trading play a vital role in developed nations and developing nations. It makes the so much volatility in metal prices in terms of online trading as well as in physical trading. After the starting of currency future trading in India the volatility increase in the MCX non precious metal. The total number of contract traded before starting of currency future trading in non precious metal are 84186 (lots) and after the starting of currency future trading 69358 (lots). It shows that there is lot of volatility in the metal market sometime it increases the volume or sometime it decrease the volume. Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) is a state of the art electronic commodity future exchange. The head quartered of MCX in Mumbai. The demutualised exchange set up by Financial Technologies (India) Ltd (FTIL) has permanent recognition from the Government of India to facilitate online trading and clearing and settlement operations for commodity futures across the country. The operations started in Nov 2003. MCX offers more than 40 commodities across various segments such as bullion, ferrous and non ferrous metals and a number of agro-commodities on its platform. The exchange is the worlds largest exchange in Silver, the second largest in Gold and Copper. MCX has been certified to three ISO standards including ISO 9001- 2000 Quality Management System standard, ISO 14001: 2004 Environmental Management System standard and ISO 27001:2005 Information Security Management System standard. Literature Review Since the beginning of trading in financial futures and options in the 1970s, the effect of financial derivatives trading on the underlying spot markets has been of great interest to both academics and practitioners. One of the issues commonly investigated by finance researchers is whether futures trading increases the price volatility of underlying markets and thus leads to destabilisation of these markets. Previous studies provide mixed evidence on this issue. To investigating the market behaviours (such as currency price volatility, metal market depth and trading volume) is an important aspect of research on the market microstructure literature. Tauchen and Pitts (1983)1 argue that these three variables are closely related. However, most studies deal with mutual contemporaneous relationship between two of those three dimensions and reach no consistent results. Very few empirical papers investigate the dynamic nature of the interactions, such as the feedback effects between those three variables. The relationship between currency future and trading volume has been examined frequently and usually is in a positive correlation between volatility and trading volume. Copeland (1976)2, develop sequential arrival of information models where new information flows into market to generate both trading volume and price movement. Karpoff (1987)3, reviews empirical and theoretical research on the relation between price changes and trading volume in financial markets. Eighteen of nineteen empirical papers support the positive correlation between volatility and trading volume. Bessembinder and Segun (1993)4 accommodate persistence in the positive relationship on eight futures market by ARCH-GARCH empirical method. In those studies above, it is consistently positive contemporaneous relation between return volatility and trading volume but lacks consistent in the relation between return volatility and market depth or between market depth and trading volume. Furthermore, there are few studies for the analysis of return volatility and trading volume incorporating with the market depth, which is proven to be fundamentally related to trading activity and market behaviour of return volatility (Bessembinder and Seguin, 1992)5. As suggested by Malliaris (1997)6, the origin of futures markets is related to the necessity to manage the risk associated with volatile spot price changes of certain assets. It can also be claimed that futures contracts became more popular since the economic deregulation in 1970s, which resulted in increased volatility in foreign currencies, debt instruments and stock indexes. Market observers and regulators have generally acknowledged the crucial role that futures markets have in risk transfer and price discovery, but they have often expressed concern over the potential role that futures activity may have in destabilizing the markets. Antoniou and Holmes (1995)7 examined the impact of trading in the FTSE-100 index futures on the spot price volatility and concluded that futures trading improves the quality and speed of information flowing to spot markets. Their evidence suggests that there has been an increase in spot price daily volatility, but that this due to increased information in the market and not to speculators having adverse destabilizing effect. Some studies provide empirical results that support the opinion that trading in futures can destabilize the spot market. For example, Figlewiski (1980)8 investigates the futures contracts for Treasury Bills (GNMA pass through certificates) and provides evidence that futures market activity increases the volatility of cash prices. More recent study by Bae, Kwon and Park (2004)9 focuses on the effect of the introduction of index futures trading in the Korean markets on spot price volatility. The authors concluded that introducing the futures and options trading on the Korean stock exchange resulted in both larger spot price volatility and greater market efficiency (allowing for quicker adjustment of market prices to information). The combined average daily turnover of the currency futures contracts in all the three exchanges (NSE, BSE, MCX) increased from USD 1.1 billion in March 2009 to 2.5 billion in September 2009 – which means a growth of more than 125% in just six months period. Objectives of Research Paper To know the impact of Currency Future US$ on base metal with reference to India. Hypothesis of Research Paper Null Hypothesis: There is positive impact of currency future US$ on base metals, if US$ increases than the price of base metals increases and vice versa. Data Analysis The impact of currency future i.e. US$ on base metals is totally depend on the day to day trading prices of currency as well as metals. To find out the impact of currency on base metals we need the daily transaction prices, for this we collect it from secondary resources. To find out the correlation of currency future and base metals I summarise the data in average form. I collected per day USD INR pricing data for twenty seven months and calculated its average per month. For the base metals, I selected five metals (viz. Aluminium, Copper, Lead, Nickel, and Zinc) collected their pricing data for each day for twenty seven months and calculated its average per month. Here we can see in the table no. 2 there is correlation coefficient between currency future and base metals. Aluminium, Copper, Lead, Nickel and Zinc are inversely correlated to currency future. There is impact on the Aluminium -0.787, the copper -0.267, lead -0.770, nickel -0.897 and zinc -0.850. When the currency future prices raise the base metals prices decrease and sometimes the base metals prices increase. It shows that the currency future and base metals are inversely correlated. Conclusion The data analysis of the currency future and the base metals shows that there is a correlation between them. When there is volatility in the currency future and base metals it impacts the relation between them. Sometimes it makes the positive relation between currency future and base metals and sometimes it makes the negative relation between them. Due to this the economic condition of India is so much impacted. When the prices volatility increases in base metals it creates the problem in physical metals trading that impact directly or indirectly to the economic condition of our nation. The data analysis represents the inverse linear relationship between currency future and base metals. Scope of research There is so much scope of this research because it is a new concept in India. Before two years ago the currency future trading was started in India. The currency future trading is a concept which is not very common. People are not so much aware about it. This paper is related with base metals only but further the whole metal market is influenced by it.

U.S. Drug Policy Versus Drug Reality Essay examples -- Argumentative P

If the United States is serious about winning the war on drugs, it will have to face some hard facts about the failure of its drug policy to date. Since Reagan introduced the war on drugs in the early 1980s, the focus of anti-drug legislation has been on incarceration and eradication, not on drug education and treatment. Drug use is viewed as a crimethe same way that burglary and murder are viewed as crimeswithout examining the social and economic causes behind drug use. This categorization of drug use as criminal misrepresents the nature of addiction. Drug addicts do not abuse drugs because they are deviant or even because they consciously desire to cause harm to themselves or to those around them, they abuse drugs because they are physically dependent on those substances for survival. The only effective way to break that cycle of dependency is through extensive detoxification and treatment programs. Not all advocates of reshaping Americas drug policy are in favor of legalization or complete decriminalizaton of drug use, though such steps are being increasingly entertained as a possible solution to Americas drug problem. On the contrary, a growing number of doctors and scientists are coming out in favor of a shift in Americas policies from hard-line law enforcement to rehabilitation and education-based deterrence. The need for such a shift in policy becomes more apparent when one weighs the magnitude of government outlays on drug-related law enforcement against the ineffectiveness of the war on drugs to date. A few basic statistics on federal allocation of anti-drug funds and on federal prison records illustrate the extent to which American drug policy is focused on the blunt tool of punishment. In 1997, the federal budget f... ... their ability to impair a persons judgment, etc. The government should realize that drug users are not criminals. They should establish more government treatment facilities in low income areas so that treatment would be an option available not only to wealthy actors and models but to the anonymous mass of low-income addicts. The free distribution of sterile needles is needed to combat the transmission of AIDSnot as a tacit advocacy of drug use. At an international meeting of the United Nations Drug Control Program in 1994, the United States refused to sign any statement mentioning the phrase harm reduction, as such a stance was seen as taking a soft-line on drugs. It is time for the United States government to wake up to the reality that the future of the War on Drugs lies with doctors, educators and sociologists and not with law enforcement agents and politicians.

Literature Review on Business Ethics Essay

Abstract A review of the current literature regarding business ethics was conducted analyzing scholarly peer-reviewed articles about business ethics and their relation to leadership, managerial decision making, corporate social responsibility and overall corporate structure. Increased corporate scandals and the discovery of a rise in unethical business practices have thrown the topic of business ethics into the spotlight. Organizations are expected by their stakeholders to implement strong ethics within their corporate structure and culture. This expectation could be accomplished through strong ethical leadership, formal structures and regulations that place emphasis on ethics, and by making a commitment to corporate social responsibility. Using these guidelines will help organizations overcome the various challenges allowing the business to build a strong ethical foundation that will ultimately benefit the company through increased customer and employee satisfaction, which could result in in creased profits, organizational sustainability and social status. The review of the literature reveals that there is still plenty of room for exploration on the topic of business ethics and particularly with the topic of ethical leadership. It is recommended that more focus be placed on understanding the influence of strong ethical leadership within an organization and how this influence flows down the organizational structure. Once this flow of influence is understood, exploration is necessary to identify the best procedures for developing and sustaining strong influential leadership ethics within the organizational structure. Organizational Design & Business Ethics: A Literature Review: Outline 1) Title Page 2) Abstract 3) Introduction a) Introduction to business ethics and why it is important in current literature. b) Themes present in literature (Thesis) Definition of ethics Ethical leadership Formal structures and regulations Benefits of business ethics 4) Overview of Business Ethics a) Definition of Ethics b) Types of Ethics i) Individualistic ii) Corporate/Business Ethics c) Managerial Ethics i) Relationship Between Laws and Ethical Standards ii) Ethical Decision Making d) Corporate Social Responsibility 5) Implementing Business Ethics Through Leadership a) Values-Based and Ethical Leadership i) Need for Value-Based/Ethical Leaders ii) Characteristics of Values-Based/Ethical Leaders iii) Role of Ethical Leadership in Business Ethics 6) Integrating Ethics Using Formal Structure and Systems a) Codes of ethics b) Programs and other policies to enforce ethical behaviors 7) Benefits of Ethical Organizations Employee Satisfaction/Productivity Increased Profits Social Status Sustainability 8) Conclusion and Recommendations Needs to be more exploration in the topic of ethical leadership Focus on understanding how ethical leadership influences corporate culture and how it flows down the corporate structure Research should attempt to identify the best procedures for developing and sustaining strong influential leadership ethics within the organizational structure. Organizational Design & Business Ethics: A Literature Review Ethics, and particularly the role it should play in business, continues to be a topic of hot discussion in today’s society. Increased corporate scandals and the discovery of a rise in unethical business practices have thrown the topic of business ethics into the spotlight. Over the past few decades many successful, prominent companies have collapsed due to corporate scandals, which resulted not only in the loss of jobs of many employees, but also led to large financial losses of thousands of shareholders. This cascading effect of unethical behavior by company executives led to increased expectations from all stakeholders of an organization. Stakeholders, who include employees, investors, shareholders, and customers, expect organizations to do more than just maximize the bottom line profit; organizational management is expected to accomplish this goal both legally and ethically, while also implementing some sort of program or policy that seeks to benefit society or the environm ent at large. Companies are expected to implement ethics within their organizational structure and culture. This expectation could be accomplished through strong ethical leadership, formal structures, and regulations that place emphasis on ethics, and by making a commitment to corporate social responsibility. Following the implemented ethical procedures and guidelines will help organizations overcome the various ethical dilemmas and challenges, allowing the business to build a strong ethical foundation that will ultimately benefit the company through increased customer and employee satisfaction, which could result in increased profits, organizational sustainability and social status. A review of the current literature regarding business ethics reveals that am emphasis is placed on defining and understanding business ethics, understanding how ethical leadership is used to implement ethics into an organization, identifying how ethics are integrated into the organizational structural, and finally reviewing the benefits of operating an ethical business. Overview of Business Ethics Ethics is a complex construct. One must first understand what ethics is before understanding the important role it plays in business and leadership. The current literature offers many different definitions for ethics, which will be explored, as well as the various types of ethics and their  integrations with organizational management and policies. Definition of Ethics Merriam-Webster (2014) defines ethics as â€Å"rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad.† People have varying concepts of what is considered right or wrong or good and bad. For this reason, ethics becomes difficult to define and comply with (De Cremer & de Bettignies, 2013). Oates and Dalmau (2013) define ethics as â€Å"the body of knowledge that deals with the study of universal principles that determine right from wrong† (p. 38). Racelis (2010) further explains that ethics is different from morality in that while morality deals with the principles of right and wrong in general, ethics focuses on the standards of conduct that are generally acceptable to a large group. Therefore, it is important to note, that ethical behavior focuses on what is good for others rather than on what is good for oneself. Mihelic, Lipicnik, and Tekavcic (2010) add to this definition noting that â€Å"ethical behavior is both legally and morally acceptable to the larger community† (p. 32). Business ethics, therefore; is a branch of applied ethics as it relates to the various business activities of human beings (Keller-Krawczyk, 2010). Being able to understand and implement good ethical principles into the business setting is key to developing a strong organizational culture nurtured by ethical principles. Types of Ethics Many times when people speak or write about ethics they refer to one of two types, individual ethics and/or organizational (group) ethics. Scholars have studied both types of ethics in an attempt to understand how individual and organizational ethics intertwine and connect with one another. Accurately interpreting the relationship between the two is crucial to understanding how strong ethical values could be successfully instilled into an organization’s environment. Individualistic ethics. The concept of right and wrong is something that is instilled in individuals from the time of their birth. Individuals may learn what it right and wrong from their parents, teachers, religious  education, or life experiences. They then take what they learn and create their own personal values which help to shape and develop their individual sense of ethics. Elango, Paul, Kundu, and Paudel (2010) explain the various research works that supports the argument that an individual’s personal values and ethical standards are the main driver of a person’s intention to practice ethical behavior. The authors explain that there is strong evidence to support the theory linking an individual’s attitude toward a behavior to the actual behavior of that individual (Elango et al., 2010). Corporate/organizational ethics. Just as individuals create and develop their own ethical standards, groups of individuals may also develop a shared sense of what is considered ethical. Many literary works support the idea that the culture of an organization, including the belief systems, have a profound influence on an employee’s thinking and ultimately on his/her professional behavior (Elango et al., 2010). The ethical behavior of an organization is defined by the corporate culture. Racelis (2009) defines corporate culture as the â€Å"assumptions, beliefs, goals, knowledge and values that are shared by organizational members† (p. 252). The culture of an organization defines the behavior patterns of the employees, profoundly influencing their actions and choices in a given situation. Much research is focused on studying the relationship between corporate ethical values and an individual’s personal ethical values. Elango et al. (2010) hypothesized that employees will have greater ethical intentions if they perceive a high level of organizational ethics. The findings of the study conducted by Elango et al. (2010) indicated that there was a significant relationship between organizational ethics and an individual’s ethical intentions, supporting the notion that organizations could build an ethical business by focusing on creating a positive ethical culture. Likewise, a study conducted by Racelis (2010) also concluded that there is an interaction between individual ethical perceptions and values and the organization’s value systems, providing â€Å"evidence to the theory that an organization’s ideology and culture is indeed likely to shape decision-making and action in that organization† (p. 257). Managerial Ethics An important aspect of business ethics is managerial ethics, which refers to  the decisions, actions, and behaviors of mangers and whether they are considered right or wrong (Daft, 2013). Individuals in positions of management must make the decision every day whether or not to act in an ethical manner. As discussed earlier, deciding what is considered right or wrong ethically, is not always black and white. Many times managers find themselves pushing the limits and entering the grey area of ethics. De Cremer and de Bettignies (2013) explain that in the business environment there are many implicit expectations and norms that motivate managers and ultimately may push them to cross the boundaries and behave unethically. Many times competiveness and greed could push managers into the ethical grey area. According to De Cremer and de Bettingnies (2013), â€Å"This attitude of pushing the limits effectively clouds our own moral limits and, as a result, increases the chances that we eventually will cross the boundaries† (p. 65). Many managers believe if they are not doing anything illegal, than they are acting ethically. This is not always the case; therefore, it is important for managers to understand the difference between laws and ethical standards. Once managers have a fair understanding of what is considered appropriate ethical behavior, they can focus on making good ethical decisions for the organization. Relationship between laws and ethical standards. Keller-Krawczyk (2010) explain that laws are rules of conduct set by a governing body that either requires or prohibits individuals or businesses from performing certain actions. Failure to comply with the set laws may result in punishments such as financial penalties and/or imprisonment. As mentioned previously, it is not uncommon for individuals to believe that if they are operating within the boundaries of the law, then they are behaving ethically. Unfortunately, there are many actions that may be considered legal, but are not considered ethical. Keller-Krawczyk (2010) supports this notion stating that usury (charging high interest rates in countries that do not set a legal limit on rates) is a good example of a behavior that is legal but also considered unethical. Business managers must attempt to understand the relationship and differences between laws and ethics if they wish to help implement ethics within their organization. Managers are often times aware of the laws and regulations because they are formally written and failure to comply  with them will result in some sort of sanctioned punishment, whereas ethical standards are socially construed and failure to comply with these standards is not always punishable under state or federal sanctions. Cameron (2011) explains that ethical standards do not always serve as adequate fixed points for managers because they â€Å"often change over time and circumstance† thus they â€Å"frequently to do not remain stable because they are socially construed† (p. 30). Although laws and regulations are different than ethical standards, managers need to understand how the two can be integrated and used within their organization to help build a solid ethical foundation. Blodgett (2012) acknowledges that many philosophers and legal scholars have attempted to explain the complicated relationship that exists between laws and ethics and although it is still not easily understood, it is evident that there is indeed a connection between the two. A study conducted by Blodgett (2012) explored the idea of â€Å"substantive ethics† (an integration of law and ethics) and how it could be applied to corporate governance as well as the managerial decision-making process. This idea of substantive ethics and how it could be integrated into the formal corporate structure is discussed in greater depth later in this paper. Ethical decision making. One of the major tasks of a manger is to make decisions. The decisions they make not only reflect back on them as an individual, but on the organization as well. Oates and Dalmau (2013) point out that the decisions of managers have a far greater impact on the world today as compared to years ago since technology has allowed for the inter-connection of economies. They go on to explain that a poor decision by a manger in one part of the world can have dramatic consequences for people in another part of the world (Oates & Dalmau, 2013). It is obvious that good decision making is an important part of organizational success. What factors control or influence managerial decision making? Findings of a study conducted by Elango et al. (2010) indicate that both individual ethics and organizational ethics played a role in guiding managers into making ethical choices. This means that managers are influenced by their own ethical values and experiences as well as the ethical standards, practices and procedures discerned in their workplace. These findings were also supported by the study conducted by Racelis (2010) which indicated that an  organization’s culture plays an instrumental role in the decision making process. Oates and Dalmau (2013) explain that ethical decision making is not solely about ensuring that a manger’s decision will not have an adverse affect on others, it also requires that those in positions of management actively look to make decisions that will benefit others. Choosing to make ethical decisions on a daily basis has proven a difficult task for many managers. Managers are constantly faced with ethical dilemmas in the workplace. Mihelic et al. (2010) review various literary works regarding the topic of ethical leadership and identify an important concept stating that ethical managers â€Å"incorporate ethical dimension in the decision-making process, consider the ethical consequences of their decisions and above all try to make fair choices† (p. 33). Corporate Social Responsibility A topic that is closely related and intertwined with the concept of business ethics is corporate social responsibility (CSR). Low and Ang (2013) explain that each organization may have their own definition of CSR; however, each of the definitions seems to share common ground and themes. World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2000) offers the following definition of CSR: Corporate social responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large. (as cited in Low & Ang, 2013, p. 33). As evident from this detailed definition, CSR plays an instrumental part in the ethical arena of a business. Benn, Todd and Pendleton (2010) theorize that although the concept of CSR is to benefit the society at large, the underlying reason for an organization to implement CSR strategies is to satisfy stakeholder expectations. The authors explain that corporate scandals, fraud and an increase awareness of environmental, social and health concerns has led many stakeholders to lose credibility in corporations (Benn et al., 2010). Low and Ang (2013) emphasize that many external stakeholders are beginning to take a more thorough interest in the activities of an organization by concentrating on not only what the company has done with its products and/or services, but also on how the company has  impacted the environment or local community. As a way to rebuild credibility and satisfy the interests of stakeholders, many organizations are using CSR strategies that seek to create a positive impact on society. Regardless of the motivation behind implementing the CSR strategies, many scholars agree that in order to implement successful CSR policies, organizations need to have a strong ethical foundation (Low & Ang, 2013; Benn et al., 2010). An empirical study conducted by Benn et al. (2010) provided strong evidence that corporate leadership and structure play an instrumental role in embedding CSR strategies and policies across the organization. Thus, since business ethics and CSR are intrinsically intertwined it is imperative that one understands how ethics and CSR could be incorporated within an organization through leadership, formal structures, and systems. Implementing Business Ethics through Leadership Now that the construct of business ethics has been defined and explained, focus needs to be placed on how leadership could be instrumental in strengthening or implementing business ethics within an organization’s culture. Just as there are several different definitions for ethics, there are also many definitions and interpretations of leadership. Noriega and Drew (2013) cite several different definitions of leadership before ultimately arriving at a generalized definition that states â€Å"leadership deals with persuading, inspiring, motivating others, and spearheading useful changes† (p. 34). Likewise, Mihelic et al. (2010) emphasize that the role of a leader is to help direct the behavior of his/her followers toward a desired goal. There are many different types and methods of leadership that allow leaders to accomplish their goals and objectives. The main focus of this paper is on value-based and ethical leadership and how these types of leadership are instrumental i n promoting ethical behavior among employees within their organization. Value-Based and Ethical Leadership Ethics had previously been described as a body of knowledge concerning itself with moral principles that govern the behavior of individuals. Leadership was defined as the act of persuading or influencing individuals toward a desired goal. Therefore, by combining these two definitions, Oates  and Dalmau (2013) derived the following simple definition for ethical leadership: â€Å"the art of helping, guiding, and influencing people to achieve a common goal in a morally acceptable way† (p. 38). Similarly, Busch and Wennes (2012) explain that value-based leadership focuses on two primary leadership dimensions: 1) ensuring the visibility and meaningfulness of values and 2) generating moral engagement within an organization. Although many scholars argue that value-based leadership and ethical leadership are synonymous, Morrison and Mujtaba (2010) review various studies that acknowledge that while the two types of leadership do tend to overlap, there are also major differences that cannot be ignored. Brown and Trevino stress that one significant difference between the two is that â€Å"ethical leadership focuses on the content of the values† while value-based leadership tends to ignore the content, focusing instead on the sharing of values between the leader and followers (as cited in Morrison & Mujtaba, 2010). Taking this into consideration it could be construed that effective ethical leaders are also influential value-based leaders that inspire and enable their followers to make the right choices and adopt the same ethical values embraced by the leader. Viinamaki (2012) supports this idea, explaining that value-based leaders carry the responsibilities of setting ethical goals and standards, rewarding those that achieve the desired outcome of ethical conduct, and penalizing anyone that strays from the set ethical values and standards. In order to comprehend the role ethical and value based leadership plays in business ethics, it is essential that one first understands why there is a need for ethical leadership and is able to identify the characteristics of an effective and influential ethical leader. Need for value-based and ethical leaders. Oates and Dalmau (2013) point out that the need for ethical leadership is most evident is situations where it is absent. Recent corporate scandals such as the collapse of Enron and Arthur Andersen has shed light on the issues of corruption, power and greed revealing that these conditions could wreak havoc on organizations that do not have strong ethical leaders. According to Noriega and Drew (2013), in today’s high-pressured business environment, organizations would find it difficult to meet daily challenges and overcome obstacles if they lacked ethical leadership. The authors explain that more attention has been  focused on ethical leadership because individuals, particularly company stakeholders, are more aware of unethical practices and seek for a way to achieve managerial accountability (Noriega & Drew, 2013). When detailing why value-based leadership was important in organizations, Viinamaki (2012) explains â€Å"values are a m eans of influencing behaviors without the need to resort to formal structures, systems, strategies, or control mechanisms† (p. 29). Characteristics of ethical leaders. There are many traits and qualities that characterize strong ethical leaders. Mihelic et al. (2010) write â€Å"a strong character plays an important role in effective self-leadership and in the process of leading others† (p. 35). The most common traits that scholars have attributed to ethical leaders are integrity, honesty, and trustworthiness (Mihelic et al., 2010; Noriega & Drew, 2013). These three traits are necessary in order to build trusting relationships with followers offering credibility and consistency. Other characteristics of ethical leaders include: responsible, fair, humble, encouraging and respectful of others, shows concern for greater good, innovative and courageous (Mihelic et al., 2010; Noriega & Drew, 2013). Mihelic et al. (2010) explain that in addition to the above characteristic traits it is crucial that ethical leaders embody the following five values: pride, patience, prudence, persistence and perspective. An ethical leader should also use values-based leadership to emphasize and strengthen these ethical values within the organizational structure. Finally, Noriega and Drew (2013) emphasize that high regard of human worth and dignity are at the core of an ethical leader’s belief system. All the decisions and actions are made in accordance with the beliefs and actions of the ethical leader. Role of ethical leadership in business ethics. By definition, leaders persuade or influence their followers toward a desired goal. One of the main goals of ethical and values-based leadership is to motivate their followers to share and embody the same ethical values that they themselves are portraying. A majority of scholars are in agreement that the ethical conduct of an organization is primarily influenced by the leaders who are also responsible for creating and enforcing the codes of conduct to be  followed by the employees (Mihelic et al., 2010). In order for ethical leadership to be successful within an organization, all leaders, especially those that hold senior leadership positions must be committed to the ethical principles they profess and more importantly they must also exemplify these principles through their own actions (Wickham & Donohue). The relationship of a leader and follower could be compared to that of a parent and a child. A child is likely to follow and imitate the actions of the parent, performing in a manner that will likely receive the parent’s approval. Parents wishing to teach their child how to behave properly will want to be a good role model for that child by modeling the desired behavior. Likewise, leaders need to be role models for their employees. Employees who see their leaders modeling the desired ethical behavior will be more likely to act in the same manner, which helps the behavior and ethical principles become a strong part of the corporate culture. Wickham and O’Donahue (2012) support this theory stating â€Å"Leadership, both formal and informal, in the firm needs to be perceived as ‘walking the walk’ as much as ‘talking the talk’ of ethical decision-making and behavior† (p. 23) with internal employees as much as external customers and stakehold ers. Integrating Ethics Using Formal Structure and Systems Creating an ethical business requires that ethics be incorporated into all aspects of the organization. Not only must leaders and employees practice ethical principles, but ethics must be built into the organizational structure. Part of implementing ethics within the organizational structure starts with making sure that ethical leadership begins at the top of the organization and then flows down through all levels of the hierarchy (Oates & Dalmau, 2013O. It was briefly mentioned earlier that a major role of an ethical leader was to enforce the code of conduct that would guide employee behavior within the organization. Creating a code of conduct that emphasizes the important ethical principles the organization wishes to portray is one of several ways ethics could be integrated into an organization. It would also prove beneficial to incorporate ethics into corporate governance laws and policies, particularly by implementing and enforcing a code of ethics. According to Oates and Dalmua (2013), it is necessary for the ethical values and standards to be â€Å"articulated in the  wider context of the organization, society, culture and regulations† (p. 40). Once a solid foundation for business ethics is laid within the structure, organizations need to make sure they implement polices and programs that will continue to help teach and enforce good ethical behavior. Corporate Structure and Ethics Oates and Dalmua (2013) also claim â€Å"Ethical leadership starts at the top, with the company’s board of directors†¦above all, it must be present in the CEO† (p. 40). This is an important notion for implementing business ethics because if ethical leadership does not start at the highest level of management and work its way down, it is highly unlikely that it would be possible to fully integrate ethics within the organizational corporate culture. In addition to instituting ethical leadership at all levels of management, an experimental study conducted by Ellman and Pezanis-Christou (2010) revealed that the decision-making structures of organizations also have a significant effect on the ethical behavior of employees. The study provided evidence to support the theory that subordinates within an organization who were given a voice in the decision making process felt more responsible for the actions of the organization and were thus more inclined to exhibit better ethical behavior than when they were not given a say in the decision-making process (Ellman & Pezanis-Christou, 2010). Therefore, as this study indicates, open communication between leaders and subordinates is a key concept in the ethical implementation process. As discussed earlier, CSR continues to be a popular topic that aligns itself with discussions on business ethics. A major focus of CSR is on creating a sense of shared value between the business, its shareholders, and society. Michelini and Fiorentino (2011) explain that â€Å"from a shared value viewpoint, companies must integrate a social perspective into the core frameworks that they use to understand competition and develop business strategy† (p. 562). In other words, companies need to be sure that they are using an effective business model that will help support their CSR strategies and achieve shared value. Business models refer to the design of a business in regards to how it will create, deliver and capture value (Michelini & Fiorentino, 2011). The research conducted by Michelini and Fiorentino (2011) compared  and contrasted the social and inclusive business models in reference to how they each allow an organization to achieve their goal of shared value. Codes of Ethics It has been stressed that the actions of those in positions of leadership helps to institute ethical behavior in employees. Although this is true, actions are not the only resource that should be used to communicate management’s expectations of proper ethical behavior. Racelis (2010) places emphasis on the fact that individuals are more likely to feel like a vital part of an organization and will more strongly associate themselves with the mission of the company if the organization’s shared perceptions and values are clearly defined. Often times to accomplish this objective, organizations will develop a corporate code of ethics or code of conduct. Blodgett (2012) explains that corporate ethics codes are self-selected statements of laws and ethics that communicate the values and expressions of a corporation. Many corporate ethics codes incorporate the universal business ethical values of honesty, integrity, responsibility, fairness and trust; but they also may contain legal compliance statements to address general business concerns (Blodgett, 2012). It has been proposed by Blodgett (2012) that integrating general laws and procedures into a corporate code of ethics will help businesses see the ethical value in obeying laws and also help them understand that they have a broader responsibility than just strictly following legal laws. Overall, Noriega and Drew (2013) reiterate that ethical codes of conduct are structured by members of senior management and should seek to clarify company expectations, assist employees in the decision-making process and foster appropriate ethical behavior. Programs and Other Policies to Enforce Ethical Behavior In addition to creating a corporate code of ethics and communicating them to all employees within the organization, managers must also find ways to promote, teach, and enforce these ethical principles. Wickham and O’Donahue (2012) suggest that in order to build an ethically intelligent organization, an organization must develop HRM strategies, polices and procedures that center on recruiting, developing, and retaining employees that embody  cognitive, moral, social and emotional intelligence. A focus need to be put on learning how to develop and retain ethically motivated employees. Trapp (2011) shares that organizations could help endure ethical behavior through various business ethics programs such as workshops and e-training. A study by Trapp (2011) revealed that employees were more prone to embrace ethical standards when they were given the opportunity to openly voice their concerns and address the ethical grey areas they may encounter. Organizations can offer open forums or have ethical help hotlines where employees can openly communicate with others when they are faced with ethical dilemmas or areas of grey. Benefits of Ethical Organizations Although many businesses are feeling the push from their stakeholders to run their business on ethically sound principles, ethical business have seen many advantages and benefits as a result of instituting ethical behavior. Some of these benefits may include: increased employee satisfaction and productivity, increased and sustainable profitability, improved social status, and customer/shareholder loyalty and appreciation (Wickham & O’Donohue, 2012). According to Morrison and Mujtaba (2010), companies that follow unethical practices and are managed by unethical leaders diminish and destroy shareholder value due to the high cost associated with unethical actions such as fines and penalties, audit costs and costs associated with loss of customers and reputation; whereas, leaders that operate highly ethical corporations are able to increase shareholder. A positive correlation has been found between a firm’s investment in CSR and an increase in shareholder wealth (Morrison & Mujtaba, 2010). Finally, not only did the collapse of many prominent business due to unethical behavior result in a loss of credibility between stakeholders and businesses, it also resulted in governmental interference and the passage of laws such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). He and Ho (2010) explained that this law â€Å"introduced significant reform in the corporate governance, accounting, auditing, and reporting environment of publicly traded firms† (p. 624). Compliance with SOX has proven costly for many organizations. He and Ho (2010) believe that organizations led by ethical leaders who institute proper ethical standards and practices do not need to  invest in expensive monitoring programs because they could meet governmental regulations in a more efficient manner with minimal monitoring. Conclusion and Recommendations Organizations continue to be confronted with increased ethical challenges as leaders are continually tempted to exchange ethical behavior for increased money and power. Individuals in society continue to be appalled by the number of large and powerful corporations that have collapsed and fallen due to corporate fraud and scandal. This has led many stakeholders to become skeptical of business operations, leading them to demand an incorporation of ethics into every day business practices. Corporations wishing to satisfy this new expectation and regain the confidence and trust of not only external stakeholders but if their own employees must seek to find ways to implement business ethics within their organizational culture. Ethics is a complex construct to interpret and understand. Each individual has his/her own opinion regarding what constitutes good ethical behavior. There is no single definition for ethics, although most of the definitions provided by scholars revolve around common themes. Regardless of the debate about what truly constitutes ethics, there is a strong consensus that an indisputable need for ethics exists inside organizations. For this reason, there is much focus placed on ethics and how it pertains to business throughout literary works. Scholars continue to research and conduct various studies regarding the best way to institute ethics within an organization. Much of this literature was reviewed and evaluated to identify common themes that existed among the works. The literature includes explanations of various studies that provide support showing it is possible for organizations to meet the ethical expectations of the stakeholders by instituting strong ethical leadership within the organizations from the top down. These ethical leaders need to possess the important ethical qualities of honesty, integrity and trustworthiness and should practice the ethical behavior they profess, serving as exemplary role models for their followers. In addition, these ethical leaders are responsible for creating and enforcing formal policies and programs within their organization that place emphasis on the ethical values and standards  the business desires to convey. These formal structures include implementing and communicating a corporate code of ethics for the organizations and instituting programs that will help educate and develop the employees in r egards to the ethical standards and values. Organizations that are successfully able institute ethical leadership and use it to build a strong ethical foundation find that ethics inevitably become a part of the organizational culture. Ethical companies create shared value between the business, shareholders and society through CSR initiatives. Highly ethical organizations also see that their ethical practices benefit them through increased employee satisfaction and productivity, customer and shareholder appreciation, increased sustainable profitability, and social status. A detailed review of the literature on ethics reveals that there is still plenty of room for exploration on the topic of business ethics and particularly with the topic of ethical leadership. Since it appears that ethical leadership is the key to integrating ethical behavior within an organization, more studies should be conducted to determine the best approaches for leaders to do this. Leadership is all about persuasion and influence. It is recommended that more focus be placed on understanding the influence of strong ethical leadership within an organization and how this influence flows down the organizational structure. Once this flow of influence is understood, exploration is necessary to identify the best procedures for developing and sustaining strong influential leadership ethics within the organizational structure. References Benn, S., Todd, L. R., & Pendleton, J. (2010). Public relations leadership in corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(3), 403-423. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0474-5 Blodgett, M. (2011). Substantive ethics: Integrating law and ethics in corporate ethics programs. Journal of Business Ethics, 99(1), 39-48. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1165-6 Busch, T., & Wennes, G. (2012). Changing values in the modern public sector: The need for value-based leadership. The International Journal of Leadership in Public Services, 8(4), 201-215. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17479881211323599 Cameron, K. (2011). Responsible leadership as virtuous leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(1), 25-35. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1023-6 Daft, R. L. (2013). Organization theory & design. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. De Cremer, D. and de Bettignies, H.-C. (2013), Pragmatic business ethics. Business Strategy Review, 24(2), 64–67. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8616.2013.00950.x/pdf Elango, B., Paul, K., Kundu, S. K., & Paudel, S. K. (2010). Organizational ethics, individual ethics, and ethical intentions in international decision-making. Journal of Business Ethics, 97(4), 543-561. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0524-z Ellman, M., & Pezanis-Christou, P. (2010). Organizational structure, communication, and group ethics. The American Ec onomic Review, 100(5), 2478-2491. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/aer.100.5.2478 Ethic – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2014). Retrieved May 4, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethic Keller-Krawczyk, L. (2010). Is business ethics possible and necessary? Economics & Sociology, 3(1), 133-142,149. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1038947534?accountid=12085 He, L., & Ho, S. K. (2011). Monitoring costs, managerial ethics and corporate governance: A modeling approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 99(4), 623-635. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0672-1 Low, P. K. C., & Ang, S. L. (2013). Confucian ethics, governance and corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(4), 30-43. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1327711156?accountid=12085 Michelini, L., & Fiorentino, D., (2012). New business models for creating shared value, Social Responsibility Journal, 8(4 ), 561-577. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/journals.htm?articleid=17058148 Mihelic, K. K., Lipicnik, B., & Tekavcic, M. (2010). Ethical leadership. International Journal of Management and Information Systems, 14(5), 31-41. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/819649567?accountid=12085 Morrison, H., & Mujtaba, B. G. (2010).

it is better to be man

it is better to be man Xichen liu (Andy)Essay #2Oct/21/2014Being a man, being successful in your lifeThere are two genders in the world, they are males and females. Just like a coin has two sides. Both males and females have advantages and disadvantages. Some males want to be females because they believe that ladies is always first. This is really convenient. Some females want to be males because they think males are more direct and get higher paid after graduate. However, being a male means you will have a lot of pressure in both life and work. Such as man play the role to support families and men usually need to work harder in their job. Although man have more pressure and more health problems than women, it is still easier to be a man because men have more advantages in school than women and even they are more likely to succeed in their career.First of all, men have more advantages in school than woman, especially in academic achievements. Because of the different way of thinking between man and woman, they perform totally different in the school. It is relative with how they are socialized when they were young. In their childhood woman are encouraged to express their emotions freely, they like to play in a small groups which they share secrets and emotions together. That means girls usually think more carefully than man and they are good at communication. Furthermore teachers and parents do not have a higher expectation in girls. Begin with 1970s girls were not encouraged to have higher level of education. People usually thinks that girls should raise children and do housework at home, instead of go to work. Few years later, even girls could go to the collage, they were encouraged to focus on specific courses...

How to Make Tris Buffer Solution for Medical or Lab Use

How to Make Tris Buffer Solution for Medical or Lab Use Buffer solutions are water-based liquids that include both a weak acid and its conjugate base. Because of their chemistry, buffer solutions can keep pH (acidity) at a nearly-constant level even when chemical changes are taking place. Buffer systems occur in nature, but they are also extremely useful in chemistry. Uses for Buffer Solutions In organic systems, natural buffer solutions keep pH at a consistent level, making it possible for biochemical reactions to occur without harming the  organism. When biologists study biological processes, they must maintain the same consistent pH; to do so they used prepared buffer solutions. Buffer solutions were first described  in 1966; many of the same buffers are used today.  Ã‚   To be useful, biological buffers must meet several criteria. Specifically, they should be water soluble but not soluble in organic solvents. They should not be able to pass through cell membranes. In addition, they must be non-toxic, inert, and stable throughout any experiments for which they are used. Buffer solutions occur naturally in blood plasma, which is why blood maintains a consistent pH between 7.35 and 7.45. Buffer solutions are also used in: fermentation processesdying fabricschemical analysiscalibration of pH metersDNA extraction What Is Tris Buffer Solution? Tris is short for  tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane, a chemical compound which is often used in saline because it is isotonic and non-toxic. Because it has a Tris has a pKa of 8.1 and a pH level between 7 and 9, Tris buffer solutions are also commonly used in a range of chemical analyses and procedures including DNA extraction. It is important to know that pH in tris buffer solution does change with the temperature of the solution. Emeldir  / Wikimedia Commons /  CC0 1.0 How to Prepare Tris Buffer It is easy to find commercially available tris buffer solution, but it is possible to make it yourself with the appropriate equipment. Materials: Calculate the amount of each item you need based on the molar concentration of the solution you want and the quantity of buffer you need. tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane  distilled deionized waterHCl Procedure: Start by  determining what concentration (molarity) and volume of Tris buffer you want to make. For example, Tris  buffer solution  used  for  saline  varies from 10 to 100 mM.  Once you have decided what you are making, calculate the number of moles of Tris that are required by multiplying the molar concentration of buffer by the volume of the buffer that is being made.  (moles of Tris mol/L x L)Next, determine how many grams of Tris this is by multiplying the number of moles by the molecular weight of Tris (121.14 g/mol).  Ã‚  grams of Tris (moles) x (121.14 g/mol)Dissolve the Tris into the distilled deionized water, 1/3 to 1/2 of your desired final volume.Mix in HCl (e.g., 1M HCl) until the pH meter gives you the desired pH for your Tris buffer solution.Dilute the buffer with water to reach the desired final volume of solution. Once the solution has been prepared, it can be stored for months in a sterile location at room temperature. Tris buffer solutions long shelf life is possible because the solution does not contain any proteins.

Legalizing Euthanasia Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legalizing Euthanasia - Article Example From the discussion euthanasia has been regarded as that which promotes dignified deaths for patients and that protects patients from unnecessary suffering and pain. The practice has been found to be one that though inexpensive, it gives so much power to healthcare givers, fails to respect the sacredness of life, and patients’ right to live, reduces the effectiveness of palliative care, increases the number of involuntary and non voluntary euthanasia and demoralises healthcare givers from providing quality end of life care to terminally ill patients. The arguments against this practice are definitely more and stronger than those in support of the practice. This paper has strongly put the stand that euthanasia should not be legalized and that palliative care is the most efficient and ethically appropriate way of reducing suffering and pain in terminally sick patients. Legalizing Euthanasia Introduction Euthanasia, also called mercy killing, is defined as the act of intentionall y taking away the life of another human being with an aim of reducing the pain and suffering of that person (Larson, 2004). The practice of euthanasia is one that has escalated a lot of debates not just in America, but in other parts of the world as well with different groups and persons arguing for and against the practice. As the debates increases, some of the regions and states such as Oregon have gone ahead to legalize the practice of euthanasia with some others strongly opposing its legalization. This paper provides my views on the legalization of euthanasia, an act which I strongly oppose. Argument The word euthanasia is a Greek word for the phrase ‘good death’. With this, the practice has always been viewed by some as that which ends the suffering and pain of a patient and that which brings him relief as a result (Larson, 2004).However, this is not necessarily the case. The practice has been attributed to a number of benefits. I believe these benefits, however, c annot in any way be used to justify its legalization putting into consideration that some of them are still questionable. One of the key reasons that supporters of euthanasia give for supporting the act is that the practice allows the patient to die a dignified death. According to these supporters, giving a dignified death to the patient is better than leaving them to suffer in pain for an unknown period of time. This argument is, however, not sufficient to support the legalization of euthanasia. Palliative care serves the role of ensuring that patients are able to comfortably and peacefully live during the last days of their lives. In this case, palliative care can be said to be an effective way through which pain and suffering can be reduced to the lowest possible levels. The provision of good end of life care according to Foley & Hendin, (2002) is a better choice over euthanasia. Almost every form of pain can be decreased through medication and other forms of care, hence, mercy k illing should not an only means to reducing pain in patients. This view is further supported by the American Medical Association (AMA) which strongly stands in opposition to mercy killing. According to this body, it is evident that there is need for all patients to receive quality end of life care but not to have them undergo euthanasia. According to the AMA, nurses and other healthcare givers play the significant role of treating and keeping people alive. Going against that commitment to save life by taking away life questions their integrity and breaks patient- doctor trust. AMA strongly believes that giving alternative care and treatment during the last years of a patient’s life will be a good way of reducing the need for euthanasia, a reason why they introduced