Lessons of The parable of the sadhu Essay Example

Lessons of The parable of the sadhu Paper In The parable of the sadhu Bowen H. McCoy recounts an ethical conflict that confronted he and his companion Stephan while on a private mountaineering expedition in the Himalayas. On the verge of traversing a high altitude pass, which constituted the goal of their expedition, McCoy’s group discovered a near naked local native (sadhu) on the verge of death from starvation and hypothermia.   McCoy’s group clothed the old man and pointed him in a direction where after two days of walking he could find a hut.   McCoy and Stephan then continued with their own trek with a full complement of attending porters and Sherpa guides.   Stephan immediately challenged McCoy for leaving the elderly sadhu to near certain death. McCoy attempts to transfer his own bygone, inhumane moral choice into the broader problem of corporate ethics and business organization.While the essay is apparently utilized by institutions of higher learning such as Berkeley and Harvard to open discussions on those business topics, The parable of the sadhu reads more like the tormented justifications of a errant man attempting to shed his own guilt. If McCoy really believes his experience with the sadhu should be analyzed in the context of the organization of his expedition, then he should have provided the most glaring omission from his essay.   To wit, who was in charge of his group?   Who retained the Sherpa guides?   Who retained their porters?   After all, the most obvious solution to the ethical dilemma of McCoy was to have one or more of his guides and porters accompany the sadhu to the safety of lower elevations.   If the reader were provided with that bit of information, the weighty metaphysical questions raised by McCoy would be a snap to answer. We will write a custom essay sample on Lessons of The parable of the sadhu specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lessons of The parable of the sadhu specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lessons of The parable of the sadhu specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Having been deprived of that vital data, the reader is left to surmise.   One can infer from the essay that McCoy, in fact, had the final say.  Ã‚   McCoy is confronted by Stephan for having left the old man to die, and it is McCoy who begins the justification process to quiet Stephan’s protestations.   Look says McCoy to Stephan we all cared. We all stopped and gave aid and comfort.  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the conclusion of his essay, McCoy postulates as a possible reason for their neglect of the sadhu’s life perhaps because we did not have a leader who could reveal the greater purpose of the trip to us. It is McCoy who plies Stephan with the incredulous, rhetorical question are you really saying that, no matter what the implications, we should, at the drop of a hat, have changed our entire plan?  Ã‚   The wealthy, Western investment banker considers his recreational trek   of far greater importance (our entire plan) to the life of an Eastern religious pilgrim (the drop of a hat). As McCoy’s justifications mount, they take on a social darwinistic tone.   First, he arbitrarily distinguishes business from philosophy by ascribing action and implementation getting things done exclusively to the former.   If business is individuated and apart from philosophy, when then, anything goes.   When combined with his pronunciamento that the manager who pauses to contemplate what is the ’good’ thing to do threatens the entire enterprise, McCoy has all but nullified any evil in his decision to allow the old sadhu to perish in the snow. Once McCoy acknowledges that hypothetically it could be argued it was not an ethical decision to leave the sadhu behind, he begins to transfer responsibility from any one individual, including himself, to the group as a whole.   Having taken the moral load off his own shoulders he ponders where such a thing as collective or institutional ethics even exists.   He chafes at the idea of the formulation formalized, group ethical rules that clearly delineate what is right and good conduct and what is wrong or evil conduct within an organization.   He find this impractical.   In support of that idea, he describes how he eschews lawyer and colleague advice to avoid conflicts of interest, instead opting to feel my way through conflicts. Two lessons can be learned from The parable of the sadhu that university professors, and certainly business executives, are not likely to suggest. First, beware the philosophizing business man who maintains that business and philosophy do not mix.   While putting on airs of caring a wit for another member of humanity, Mr. McCoy injects ideas that would justify a leader plowing under the weak in achieving the greater interest of strong.   Even when such an overarching interest consists merely of a recreational pursuit.   It is akin to Nike positioning itself as hip and international while at the same time operating inhuman, slave labor sweat shops in Third World countries to maximize its own profits. Second, beware the man who tells you ethical   problems are of such complexity they are beyond the reckoning ability of any single individual.   By telling us the difficulties of dealing with the sadhu were so complex that no one person could handle it, McCoy perfects his own irresponsibility.  Ã‚   I cannot think of a single working class American I have encountered in a half century who would consider the sadhu problem complex in the slightest.   I also cannot think of a common man or woman I have met who would have solved the sadhu problem as Mr. McCoy saw fit.   No, they would not have marched over the pass, porters and Sherpa guides abreast. To   one, they would have accompanied the sadhu back to safety. The essence of The parable of the sadhu is its own antithesis.   McCoy, while making the case for the opposite, quite clearly validates the notion that humanitarian philosophers are required to draft black-letter ethics law for the leaders of industry and commerce (including bankers) who left to their own devices would lose the weak to save the strong.

What is the Worst Song in the World

What is the Worst Song in the World The Worst Song in the World The Era of Good Music The 20th century blessed the world with so much great music – from jazz to blues, rock, and roll to funk. That may not be a case with 21st-century music, but that’s another story altogether. Last century was a revolutionary time in western culture, as well as other parts of the world, and it produced some extraordinary art, including music. However, not everything produced was solid-gold music. Just look at John Mellencamp’s 1985 hit â€Å"Small Town.† It is easily one of the worst songs ever made. Not only is the song a big let down, it’s also repetitive, and it’s glorifying small-town mentalities, lifestyles and limitations almost to the point of condescension. In no way, shape or form is the song a good one; rather, it is surely one that should never be played or listened to ever again on the public radio. Guitar Rhythm Going Nowhere For starters, â€Å"Small Town† could be considered the worst song in the world because it’s one big disappointment after another. It’s a catchy intro, the guitar rhythm, but it seems to go nowhere. It illustrates that silly, simple drumbeat typical of music from the 1980s, which is all just terrible; except for anything by bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan, which is absolutely excellent. But Mellencamp’s â€Å"Small Town† is just a small-minded song that is barely a song. It’s mostly a bunch of shoddy lyrics backed by even lamer music. It’s the worst song in the world, and it clearly was an expedient effort to get paid. Secondly, and most importantly, it’s the worst song in the world because it can drive anyone nuts with its mindless repetition. It lacks creativity, originality, and diversity. In just seven stanzas – it has six four-line stanzas, and one five-line stanza – Mellencamp says the world â€Å"small town† 17 times – again, 17 times! It’s so annoyingly redundant that the listener has no choice but to anticipate him saying it, almost to the point of an anguishing dread. Some of the better songs have diverse choruses, interesting phrases. But, no, Mellencamp went a different route. How it reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart is surely a mystery that no cultural expert or art critic could explain. If anything, it alludes to the sheer idiocy of the 1980s – with its hair-metal bands, outlandish behavior, and working-class sensationalism. Too Depressive Song Thirdly, that latter point brings up another reason why â€Å"Small Town† is so horrible, probably one of the worst songs ever made: It clearly is pandering to a demographic – the small-town natives with their small-town mentalities – that it’s more depressing than encouraging. In the second stanza, he sings, â€Å"All my friends are so small town/My parents live in the same small town/My job is so small town.† Now it’s quite a challenge to look beyond the sheer, mindless redundancy of the lyrics, but he sings like he is celebrating the small-town life while making fun of it. He is a sort of condescending. And yet, Mellencamp left the â€Å"small town† to become a â€Å"big† star. In a sense, he is making fun of the dumb people buying his album, who thinks he is glorifying them and their lifestyles. But that is not the case. It is essentially Mellencamp catering to this poor, working-class demographic, knowing he can easily get them to buy his new album. It’s basically marketing at its finest, a business effort to make money. Only, art and music are these beautiful gifts that should never be used as tools to merely make money. â€Å"Small Town† did just that, and it should not be considered a good song. It should be seen as one of the worst songs – if not the worst song – ever made. To conclude, every time Mellencamp hears â€Å"Small Town† on the radio, he probably cringes, lights a cigarette and promptly changes the station. In fact, he has likely removed every single radio his family owns, whether in cars, unused rooms, everywhere that could house a radio, and replace them all with iPods of only his greatest hits. â€Å"Small Town,† because of its disappointing, repetitive, trolling, sold-out nature, is assuredly the worst song on the face of the Earth. It should be banned from universities, public libraries, and hospitals. It has no place in American culture, no place in the lives of hard-working, decently intelligent people – and we should make sure children grow up never hearing of such a terrible, soul-sucking song.

Amy Winehouse Tragic event Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Amy Winehouse Tragic event - Research Paper Example Her tragic death in July 2011 has led to many a fan saddened and speculative about her untimely demise. It is public knowledge that Winehouse had been going through drug abuse and drinking problems (Sturges, 2011). Her celebrity status and stardom at such a young age, combined with the pressure of being a successful and evolving artist made her ‘terrified’ of her own success (Sledge, 2011). Her extremely quick flight to stardom made her one of the busiest stars in the world. Winehouse reportedly lost a lot of weight due to her hectic schedule; later, her physical appearance and the constant media attention revealed a deep drug dependence that had started to threaten her well being. Winehouse was caught in possession of marijuana in Norway with her husband. Winehouse had acceded to be suffering from alcoholism; she was also chronically involved in substance abuse, most famously when her U.S. tour got affected in 2007 as she had to be hospitalized due to overdosing on heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine (Sturges, 2011). Only last year, her European tour got cancelled as s he was too ‘ill’ to perform (McKinley Jr., Somaiya & Werdigier, 2011). According to the Los Angeles Times, the toxicology report of Amy Winehouse after her death was presented to her family and only partially made public, claiming only alcohol but no illegal drugs were in her system; legal drugs were not discussed by the family; this could have been done in order to allow the family to protect her legacy (2011). McKinley Jr., J, Somaiya, R. & Werdigier, J. (2011, July 24). Amy Winehouse, British Soul Singer With a Troubled Life, Dies at 27. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/arts/music/amy-winehouse-british-soul-singer-dies-at-27.html?_r=1 Sturges, F. (2011, July 25). Amy Winehouse: Singer who won the hearts of millions but was unable to overcome her dependency on drink and drugs. The Independent – on Sunday. Retrieved from

The Data Scientists PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Data Scientists - PowerPoint Presentation Example In this regard, they suggest that data can amount to four basic objectives, thus report role; where issues that have occurred can be understood, diagnostic role; where the reasons for their occurrences are noted, predictive role; where projections of future events can be based and finally recommendation role; where ideas can be suggested based on the projections made (Davenport and Patil 73). The lasting effect of data storage is vested in vested in their master definitive roles of economic significance. Such data have got overwhelming value. It can also yield to efficiency especially in organizations. Such a pivot is easily provided to make the organization perform on a higher playing ground (Davenport and Patil, 76). In my general perspective, with the advent of data scientists, business models can be rapidly developed. A point to back this is the argument that organizations use enormous capital to maintain the data infrastructure, yet still, the end users doesn’t incur direct monetary implications. The question is then, where could be the compensation for such a massive investment? The answer to this is pointed at the amount of data at the disposal of such

Assginment due 1 aug Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assginment due 1 aug - Assignment Example Retirement means a different thing to almost every person who chooses to retire. The reasons for retirement, the age of retirement, and the financial health of the individual are all relevant to the decision. What one choses to do after retirement will have an effect on the health of the individual as they choose to be more sedentary or choose to pursue activities (Miller, 2010). Comparing two people who have gone into retirement at different times of life and for different number of years since retirement shows that the experience has some commonalities to general statistics, but is unique for how the individuals feel about their experience and how they have approached the event. In looking at the retirement of Cathy and Kim, the event reveals some conclusions about how to approach retirement while also expressing how the experience is individual. Cathy is a retired teacher who entered into retirement four years ago. She entered teaching because of the incentives that were being given at the time and was happy to retire early, her pension and saving providing for enough of a nest egg that she could afford to retire at the age of 52. She felt that she had given her best to teaching and had come to a place where she no longer had the same kind of enthusiasm for the profession that had once been a source of energy for her as she had enlightened students. One of her favorite moments with a student had been to see that light go on in their eyes as they came to an understanding that they had not previously had before she had given them that knowledge. That moment had not been bringing her the same kind of fulfillment and she felt it was time to move on to other pursuits. She did not really feel retired, but more that she had entered a new phase in her life. She did not really miss teaching as she had continued to teach as a volunteer, providing art instruction at a school district where budget cuts had eliminated the art education. Cathy

Role Of SMEs In The Mauritius Tourism Industry

Role Of SMEs In The Mauritius Tourism Industry Jones and Haven- Tang (2005) studied 10 characteristics that are popular for SMEs: SMEs are job opportunities generator; there is the risk of business failure; SMEs are more flexible than are large enterprises and small entrepreneur are have a closer relationship with their customers however not too proactive to innovation and technology; motivations of SMEs depends on the entrepreneurs way of living and even differentiate through gender; business strategies differs from one SMEs to another some are well managed some are deficient in business and managerial skills; entry of business is easy but preparations in surviving depends on owners abilities to manage; SMEs are resistant to external assistance due to cultures of self reliance that act like barriers; owners are resilient to invest in managerial trainings; SMEs have poor market research and knowledge management about customers; thare are lack of an integrated approach to business planning and functionality. According to Beyene (2002) entrepreneurship is a function of opportunities, technical and commercial skills, entrepreneurial spirit, finance, infrastructure and the overall environment within which the SMEs operate. Studies (Brigham and Smith, 1967; Walker, 1975) stated that SMEs tend to be riskier than the larger organization. Cochran (1981) found SMEs were subject to higher failure rates, and Markland (1974) suggested that SMEs tend to keep less adequate records than big companies. World Bank (1994, 2002, 2004 cited Beck et al., 2003) state 3 core characteristics of SMEs which are firstly, SMEs enhance competition and entrepreneurship and hence have external benefits on economy-wide efficiency, innovation, and aggregate productivity growth; secondly, SMEs are generally more productive than large firms; and thirdly, SME boosts employment more than large firm because SMEs are more labour intensive. Dagmar Recklies (2001) stated SMEs are characterized by factors like size of enterprise or independent ownership (family of small group of people). These traits may lead to disadvantages and advantages with respect to globalization shown in table1 below: Buhalis (2009) said that the tourism industry, although the largest industry in the world, is dominated by SMEs and encapsulates any varied and disparate economic sectors. Harvey and Lee (2002) described the role of SMEs as economic in East Asian Countries. SME, according to Harvey and Lee (2002), is a source of employment, innovation and creating export opportunities and act as a means to grow into larger firms. These aspects of SMEs are important prospects that will continue in the future. According to UNIDO (2006), SMEs are the driving force in industrial development. They comprise more than 90% of all enterprises in the world and are on average providing 60 to 80% of total employment, thus help to contribute to Millennium Development Goals, in particular poverty eradication and developing global partnerships. Migiro and Ocholla (2005) suggested that SMEs account for a significant share of production and employment in many countries and are directly related to poverty alleviation. While in many respects the South African economy is different from that of other countries in the continent, SMEs are relevant for employment and as an income source. In country after country, statistics show that even during these years of economic crisis and recession, the one robust sector providing economic growth, increased productivity and employment has been that of small and medium-sized enterprises, WIPO. In 130 countries, 140 million SMEs employed 65% of labour force in July 2006, World Bank (2006, cited Kotelnikov, 2007). According to Fadahunsi and Daodu (1997, cited Beyene, 2002, p.131), in Asian countries like Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan Korea, India and Sri Lanka, 90% of businesses are small enterprises and this represent 98% of the employment in Indonesia, 78% in Thailand, 81% in Japan and 87% in Bangladesh. The tourism industry of Australia primarily consists of SMEs, with more than 90% of businesses employing fewer than 20 staff, OECD. According to the European Commission SMEs play a central role in the European economy. They are a major source of entrepreneurial skills, innovation and employment. In the enlarged European Union of 25 countries, some 23 million SMEs provide around 75 million jobs and represent 99% of all enterprises. Duarte (2004) stated that the role played by SMEs in any society is undoubtedly important, for instance, in Portugal around 98% of the industrial fabric is composed by SMEs. Duarte (2004) describes the role of SMEs as an engine of economic growth and the proportion of SMEs in the industry is large in percentage. Shumpeter (1934, cited Duarte, 2004) emphasizes the role of SMEs as a principal cause of economic development. Lukasc (nd) studied that SMEs are recognized as the backbone of the British economy, accounting for more than half of the UKs turnover. 93 % of all European enterprises have less than 10 employees and there are 20.5 million enterprises in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, providing employment for 122 million people. Alistair et al. (2003) studied the role of SMEs in China and stated that SMEs are important as they contribute to the national income and employment. Jones and Haven- Tang (2005) described the role of SMEs in developing a tourism destinations image and service quality along with other stakeholders of the industry (especially government). They described the contributions of tourism SMEs in defining service quality and thus exploring the relationship between quality of services and products by local SMEs and destination competitiveness. Jones and Haven- Tang (2005) explained that the nature of tourism SMEs makes it important for policy makers to consider in order promoting destination development. Andersson et al (2007) discussed the role of SMEs owned by women as contributing in job creation. The authors stated that women entrepreneurs are more likely to employ women, thus providing jobs not only for themselves but for other women, which helps to reduce the effect of discrimination against women in the labour market. In addition, reducing female unemployment assists in fighting women trafficking. Finally, female entrepreneurs serve as role models for the younger generations, demonstrating new employment (self-employment) opportunities. According to UNIDO (2003) the only way to reduce poverty in a sustainable way is to promote economic growth, through wealth and employment creation. In developing countries, SMEs are the major source of income, a breeding ground for entrepreneurs and a provider of employment. SMEs may be characterized as the principal building blocks of the Pakistani economy, providing the country with opportunities for increased employment (including female employment), poverty eradication, enhanced productivity, competitiveness and international market penetration. Kotelnikov (2007) studied the contributions of SMEs to employment and the countries GDP and innovations. It is commonplace for governments to have policies to encourage the growth of SMEs as they can help to directly alleviate poverty by increasing income levels and creating jobs. Kotelnikov (2007) stated that SMEs encourages technological progress and benefit either as producers of ICT or as users of ICT for purposes such as increased productivity, faster communications and reaching new clients. As TSMEs increases, entrepreneurs become more aware of the managerial skills as well as knowledge of the industry expands resulting into innovation of their products and services thus gaining a competitive advantage to increase profits thus encouraging people to invest to establish TSMEs because of the market opportunities captured by the profitability. He described SMEs as efforts to develop women entrepreneurship that helps in return in increasing gender equality by providing women with a source of income. Manyara and Jones (2005) describe the importance of the TSMEs development in Kenya that can help in the goal of alleviating poverty and developing of new tourism product. Sustainable livelihoods are considered to be possible through SMEs in the tourism industry and the authors explained the economic impact of SMEs on the poverty alleviation. They consider tourism SMEs to benefit local communities and creation of SMEs will enable better linkage with the local economy and will support complementary partnerships. Di Dominico (2005) studied the concept of lifestyle entrepreneur that is the non-economic factors of TSMEs. She describes the non-economic business values and orientations like the lifestyle of small business owners. Establishing a small enterprise may not have same significance to different people. Different person belonging to different groups have different aims and objectives in mind while setting up a business. People have incentives according to their social, economic and cultural environment in which they live. Some people start a business to be their own boss, and not be controlled by other person. Therefore people have different motivations like liberty and independence other than economic ones like profitability to start forming small businesses defining a way of living or lifestyle. The author analysed that lifestyles of SMEs reflect a less objective definition of quality of life that consider aspects of work, family, gender and variations of consumption and the relationsh ip between these aspects. However, she added that in TSMEs there must be a more objective approach to ownership and management in order to have development and success. Baldwin (1995) studied the characteristics of SMEs that make success possible. He talked about innovation being the prime factor that contributes to success. The use of proper technological, marketing, management, human resource, investment and competitive strategies are necessary to increase or decrease profitability. Theses factors are the growth factors associated to success. The study shows that SMEs stress the importance of management. SMEs focus on often stated problems in the area of training, capital cost and innovation. TSMEs are conscious of the need for a highly-skilled work force and rank themselves above their competitors in this regard. He stated that successful SMEs have to consider three dimensions that are growth, profitability and productivity. The best way to achieve these dimensions according to Baldwin (1995) is by innovation. According to Migiro and Ocholla (2005), SMEs and ICT have a direct connection in improving the business efficiency, productivity and the development of new products and services, thus creating new business opportunities and markets. The use of technology is widely used in marketing, advertising, doing transaction with foreign clients and adopting the concept of e-commerce. ICT have a role in improving business services, as in the hotel and tourism industry (Duncombe and Heeks, 2001, cited Migiro and Ocholla, 2005). Chandra (2002) stated that SMEs have to go through the technology ladder in order to remain competitive. Lal (2007) studied the adoption of ICT in the Nigerian SMEs. According to him, globalization is among the factors that influence SMEs to make use of technologies. However, he explains that good electricity supply and connectivity is necessary for SMEs to make use of IT. E-Commerce is one of the most visible examples of the way in which ICTs can contribute to economic growth. It helps countries into the global economy. It allows business and entrepreneurs to become more competitive. And it provided jobs, thereby creating wealth (UNCTAD 2004a, cited Lal 2007). However, the human capital should not be ignored as Cunningham and Rowley (2008) studied the role of SMEs in China and a system of HRM that will boost competitive capabilities of SMEs. They stated that SMEs acts as non-governmental investment booster while contributing to the improvement of the economic structure. Hence, SMEs play an important economic role in China. The traditional personnel practices of SMEs should shift to HRM, which are resourcing, rewards, development and relations, and to more management dimensions. Proper management skills as well as considering other factors such as an organizational strategy and taking account of the national context are necessary for sustaining growth, prospects and ultimately survival.

Essay --

Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States, utilized his executive powers more like that of William Howard Taft. President Taft believed in the literalist concept of presidential power, firmly expressing that the president can only exercise power within a strict interpretation of the Constitution of the United States. As a stringent believer of integrity and constitutionality, President Harrison fits Taft’s view. When he was first elected in 1889, Harrison practiced the merit system in choosing cabinet members and officials despite receiving ridicule from his Republican Party members for not abiding with the contemporary patronage system. His use of executive power in his presidency was, with few exceptions, thoroughly constitutional. He would usually ensure that his trust-busting bills, protectionist policies, and domestic policies like the McKinley Tariff and the Sherman Anti-Trust act of 1890 fell under the boundaries of his executive powers and the Constitu tion. He was also demanding in asking for authorizations from Congress for foreign policy approval and, he even respected Congress’s constitutional ability to declare war. For major projects and policies, he depended on the treaty power rather than executive agreement, which can skip legislative power. Growing up in North Bend Ohio as a child, Mr. Benjamin Harrison had a pretty rural upbringing in which he did farm work and studied with private tutors at home. As a young boy, Harrison cherished a sense of order and self-assurance since peers and family closely surrounded him. However, many perceived his confidence as arrogance. During his pre-presidential political days, he gradually developed a stiff and formal personality; making him quite aloof. When he ... ...residential career to the end of it, President Benjamin Harrison interpreted the U.S. constitution with a strict literalist view; believing that following the constitution and its specific clauses almost word for word was the most effective and less stressful way to run the executive branch of government. Though his Taft-like approach did not seem to make him a really notable, Harrison is significantly credited with having done much to America’s foreign policy; moving the nation along the path to world empire than any previous President and serving as a model for the young Theodore Roosevelt and other aspiring presidents to admire and emulate. By playing it safe and not going beyond the interpretation of the constitution, Harrison eluded any controversy of overstepping his bounds, but at the cost of just being known as an average president who rarely took any risks.