...Service: A Duty? A Benefit? Or Both, Or Perhaps Neither? While the choice of service to your country, on a national, state or local government level, is an admirable and important endeavor, the choice should be driven by one's own conscience. To think globally, or for the good of the nation and even for the future - cannot be forced! It has to be a part of who you are, what you stand for and your ability to see beyond your own need. Compelling someone to serve, as in the military draft(conscription), is a non effective notion that will not guarantee the strength and quality of its military and further divides us, as a nation. There exists examples of what conscription can do to a nation from the Vietnam War/Conflict. People chose to leave their country, casting off all that they knew and loved instead of serving in the military. Anti Draft and Anti War demonstrations were everywhere, chaos. Citizens faced prison time and were ostracized because of their refusal to serve and their views against the draft and war. A matter of Patriotism can not be governed by politicians and gauged by others who have different views from yours – it should be left up to the individual. There is no evidence to prove that because of the draft, we were a fighting force to be reckoned with or we had the most proficient fighting Soldiers in history, or that the cost of the war was less expensive. There is, however, more evidence to prove the contrary. If someone wishes to serve...
Words: 1603 - Pages: 7
... It is one thing to engage in an activity, but often quite another to state what exactly is going on when we do it. For example, someone may have a tremendous gift for selling goods to people, but may not necessarily be aware, until he or she is taught, exactly what is going on when a successful marketing strategy is put into operation. One can instinctively put into operation the classical ‘three Ps’ of marketing (attention to Product, Price and Packaging), but yet be unaware, until this is pointed out, that these are the key features of selling. In a similar way, we can make moral judgments, but yet find some difficulty in explaining exactly what is taken place when we do so. In the case of ethical judgments, the situation is perhaps more difficult. If I state that a product is — say — red, we have little difficulty in understanding and explaining what is meant. Red is a colour, and is a physical property which can be seen with the eyes. Ethical judgments seem to be different. If we describe something as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, we do not seem to be talking about a property we experience with our...
Words: 12860 - Pages: 52
...A Brief Overview of Human Resource Management Issues in the Public Sector Kurt Sager University of New Mexico Abstract This paper is based on interviews with professionals in the human resources and management/supervisory fields soliciting their views as to what they considered to be the main issues confronting them in their jobs from a human resource management point of view. Open ended questions were asked of each respondent in an effort to solicit knowledgeable responses from informed sources. Although human resources and management issues are diverse and seemingly innumerable, a few basic issues rose to the forefront during the separate interview sessions. These basic issues are discussed in some depth, and a short work biography is given for each respondent with the intention of putting the basic issues mentioned in context to the interviewees’ respective work situations. Keywords: human resources, recruitment, retention, training, legal compliance, politics A Brief Overview of Human Resource Management Issues in the Public Sector Respondent Introductions Since the topics discussed in this paper were taken directly from responses gleaned from face-to-face interviews with a Human Resources Director and two managerial level supervisors, a brief description of their respective work environments, positions and responsibilities may help the reader understand relationship(s) between...
Words: 4091 - Pages: 17
...The change to a value‐based system of healthcare reimbursement is something that I find rather daunting and somewhat scary. The traditional fee‐for‐service system, with all of its flaws, was quite simple to understand—you pay for the care that is given and if you don’t want to pay more, take care of yourself outside of the physician’s office. But, I guess my fear and apprehension about value‐based reimbursement have their foundation in not fully understanding the change and not being able to foresee its impact far into the future. Now, nobody can predict the future, but as I’ve come to find out, that plays a big role in remaining profitable in a value‐based system. Despite my initial thoughts on moving from a fee‐for‐service system, I’ve come to believe that it is the right move, insomuch as it is forcing providers and organizations to focus on preventative care for their patients. Under a fee‐for‐service model, healthcare organizations and providers profited from the ailments of their patients. More procedures meant more money. Less and less thought was given to prevention because it wasn’t profitable. This is one of the factors that has led to an increase in healthcare costs over the years.1 Under a value‐based system, the physicians and organizations are incentivized to improve quality of care delivery and cut costs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has indicated that there needs to be more focus on primary care and primary care providers.2 By having m...
Words: 1668 - Pages: 7
...Political Obligation First published Tue Apr 17, 2007; substantive revision Fri Apr 30, 2010 To have a political obligation is to have a moral duty to obey the laws of one's country or state. On that point there is almost complete agreement among political philosophers. But how does one acquire such an obligation, and how many people have really done what is necessary to acquire it? Or is political obligation more a matter of being than of doing — that is, of simply being a member of the country or state in question? To those questions many answers have been given, and none now commands widespread assent. Indeed, a number of contemporary political philosophers deny that a satisfactory theory of political obligation either has been or can be devised. Others, however, continue to believe that there is a solution to what is commonly called “the problem of political obligation,” and they are presently engaged in lively debate not only with the skeptics but also with one another on the question of which theory, if any, provides the solution to the problem. Whether political obligation is the central or fundamental problem of political philosophy, as some have maintained (e.g., McPherson), may well be doubted. There is no doubt, however, that the history of political thought is replete with attempts to provide a satisfactory account of political obligation, from the time of Socrates to the present. These attempts have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, but they have...
Words: 12818 - Pages: 52
...so-called ‘silent decade’ of the 1770s, when Kant was working on the Critique of Pure Reason, he promised repeatedly not only that he would soon finish that work but also that he would soon publish a “metaphysics of morals” (Ak 10:97, 132, 144).[2] Yet it was not until four years after the first Critique that Kant finally wrote a work on ethics, and even then he merely laid the ground for a metaphysics of morals by identifying and establishing the supreme principle on which a system of duties would be based (G 4:392). Three years later, in the Critique of Practical Reason Kant once again dealt entirely with foundational questions in moral philosophy. Kantian ethics is primarily known, especially among English-speaking philosophers, through these two ethical works of the 1780s, neither of which contains anything like a ‘metaphysics of morals’. Many of Kant’s chief works in the early 1790s are devoted to practical philosophy. The Critique of Judgment’s treatment of taste and teleology is concerned both with moral psychology and with the view of the world which a morally disposed person should take. Other works even deal with the application of Kantian principles to political and religious questions. Yet still there is still no systematic presentation of the practical philosophy which Kant had been promising for nearly three decades. It is not until 1797 that Kant published the first part of such a system, under the title “Doctrine of Right”, and it is only later in the year that...
Words: 10308 - Pages: 42
...Responsibility Geoffrey P. Lantos Professor of Business Administration Box D-55 Stonehill College North Easton, MA 02357 June 2001 Phone: 508.565.1205 Fax: 508.565.1444 E-mail: glantos@stonehill.edu 1 The Boundaries of Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Keywords Corporate social responsibility (CSR), Roles of business, Stakeholder theory, Ethical CSR, Responsibilities and duties, Altruistic CSR, Strategic CSR, Abstract Reviews the development of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) concept and its four components: economic, legal, ethical, and altruistic duties. Discusses different perspectives on the proper role of business in society, from profit making to community service provider. Suggests that much of the confusion and controversy over CSR stem from a failure to distinguish its ethical, altruistic, and strategic forms of CSR. On the basis of a thorough examination of the arguments for and against altruistic CSR, concurs with Milton Friedman that altruistic CSR is not a legitimate role of business. Proposes that ethical CSR, grounded in the concept of ethical duties and responsibilities, is mandatory. Concludes that strategic CSR is good for business and society. Advises that marketing take a lead role in strategic CSR activities. Notes difficulties in CSR practice and offers suggestions for marketers in planning for strategic CSR and academic researchers in further clarifying the boundaries of strategic CSR. Introduction It is no news that today’s...
Words: 20025 - Pages: 81
...and Development Department surveyed a sample of close to 1,800 seniors to find out their satisfaction with the sociology major and their future plans for work, graduate school, or both. Early in 2007 we resurveyed the class of 2005 to find out what they were doing with their bachelor’s degree since graduation.1 This Data Brief, the first in a series of downloadable publications from the second wave of the survey, provides information on the post-graduate activities of graduates, the kinds of jobs they held as of December 2006, their satisfaction with these jobs, and the changes in their overall satisfaction with the sociology major. Figure 1 compares the 2005 responses of senior majors as to their future plans with their 2007 reports as to what they actually were doing. The figure shows that in 2005, 40 percent of respondents planned to work and not attend graduate school after they obtained their _________________________________________________ 1The response rate for the second wave of the survey was 44 percent or 778 graduates. FIGURE 1: MORE SOCIOLOGY BACHELOR’S RECEPIENTS ARE WORKING, PLANS FOR THE FUTURE AT TIME 1 VS. STATUS AT TIME 2 (in Percents) 42.1 Job Only 60.3 22.2 Grad School Only 13.1 26.9 Both 22.0 Wave 1 Wave 2 8.8 Neither 4.7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I Do With a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology? Wave I and Wave II A M E R I C...
Words: 4206 - Pages: 17
...Ethics in the Public Relations Industry There are a wide range of complex definitions applied to the practice of ‘Public Relations’, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) for example has a full page statement outlining the profession (PRSA website1), as well as the definition formally adopted during the PRSA 1982 National Assembly “Public Relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other” (PRSA website2). For the purposes of this discussion however I plan to use the definition as outlined in the PRINZ Constitution and Rules (PRINZ Constitution): “Public relations practice shall be defined as the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding and excellent communications between an organisation and its publics” With this in mind it would appear that upholding principals such as honesty, independence and fairness to be a simple task; however when financial or employment pressures change the practice from “establish and maintain mutual understanding” to more selfish ‘profit driven’ and organisation centric views, ethical challengers arise. The modern business environment is fertile ground for unethical behaviour. There is an overwhelming emphasis on profit among many (certainly not all) large organisations. Looking at the prevalence of this ethos, particularly when combined with the short-term rewards that one may gain through less ethical actions, it is certainly not hard to understand how many...
Words: 2102 - Pages: 9
...M5G 1Z3 carson@amapceo.on.ca Paper presented to the Canadian Political Science Association Conference, June 2006 The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of AMAPCEO Working Paper – Please do not cite without permission from the author Introduction This paper is about the need for whistleblowing legislation in Canada, at both the federal and provincial levels. The focus of the paper is squarely on the public service. Although certain jurisdictions (for example, the United Kingdom1) have a single disclosure regime covering both the private and public sectors, then general trend throughout the world is for distinct legislation for the two sectors. In Canada, there are already numerous statutory avenues for individuals in both the public and private sectors to blow the whistle; however, the grounds for disclosure are generally quite circumscribed, with the statutes tending to deal only with specific concerns, e.g. occupational health and safety or the environment.2 At present whistleblowing legislation is coming into vogue across Canada, at both levels of government. This paper argues that such legislation should have the modest goal of protecting good faith whistleblowers. This is opposed to loftier ambitions, which could be characterized as ‘cleaning up government for once and for all.’ The heart of this argument focuses on specific incidences of whistleblowers in Canada. While some of these whistleblowers are clearly gadflies...
Words: 11163 - Pages: 45
...A Short Memorandum on Law, Regulation, and Consumption Dr. Bronwen Morgan A. Standard Economic Approaches A highly simplified standard (neoclassical) economic account of the relationship between law, regulation and consumption would posit that, first, the arena for consumption is constituted at a background level by law. General legal rules of contract provide the framework within which consumption choices are made, while general legal rules of tort, or wrongful harm, provide a post-hoc means of remedying a range of the possible damage or harm that might flow from consumption choices. Regulation enters the picture in both specific and general ways, all of which aim essentially to pre-emptively correct market failures that might harm vulnerable consumers. General statutory consumer protection rules (for example prohibiting certain terms in standard contracts, or unfair pressure in situations of unequal bargaining power) are supplemented by sector-specific statutory attempts to mitigate or prevent particular harms and risks that might be suffered by consumers, whether through poor water quality, contaminated food, morally offensive publications for children or the like. In this picture, regulation is the skeleton that gives shape and structure to a well-functioning market society. Regulation, as Karl Polanyi argued so eloquently many decades ago, constitutes the market. Neoclassical perspectives have in recent years adopted the Polanyian appreciation of the importance...
Words: 2784 - Pages: 12
...a) Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a moral theory that ultimately concentrates on the happiness of an individual. This theory was initially developed by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and later altered by Stuart Mill (1806-1873). A Utilitarian’s attitude towards justice implies that no significant act (e.g., act of copying) or rule (e.g., “should not lie”) is basically good or bad. Rather, it solely depends on the overall non-moral good produced on accomplishing the act. The central idea here is that morality depends on the happiness produced after an ethical act or regulation. Hence the act is influential and not elemental. Therefore, utilitarianism is classed under “consequential” theory. Both Bentham and Mill were hedonists and regarded happiness as the most important thing in life. However, there was a conflict in the way they measured happiness. Bentham did not differentiate the pleasures obtained from the actions (Bentham, 1781). According to him, any work that generates happiness- be it eating or listening to music was essentially good. He was concerned about the quantity of happiness produced by doing an action. In contrast, Mill’s theory (Act Utilitarianism) focused on the quality of the action that produces happiness. He distinguished the pleasures into lower and higher pleasures. The former constituted of tactile sensuous pleasure like sleeping or eating, while the latter comprised of more intellectual behavior like listening to elegant music or reading a poem...
Words: 3042 - Pages: 13
...Think about the following questions from the point of view of violation of public policy or breach of a covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and see what the outcome would be. * a. An employee was suspended pending discharge for sleeping and “loafing” on the job. The employer offered to change the penalty to suspension without pay if the plaintiff would sign a “last-chance agreement” under which he waived and released “any claims, suits, or causes of action” against the defendant. The employee refused to sign because he was unwilling to waive his rights to state unemployment benefits or workers' compensation. Under state statute, agreements to waive such rights are invalid. The employee is discharged. [Edelberg v. Leco Corp., 236 Mich. App. 177 (1999).] * b. A nurse is asked by her employer to sign a backdated Medicare form. She refuses and is terminated that day. As a healthcare provider, she is required to complete that particular form. [Callantine v. Staff Builders, Inc., 271 F.3d 1124 (8th Cir. 2001).] Exceptions to the Doctrine of Employment-at-Will States vary in terms of their recognition of the following exceptions to the doctrine of employment-at-will. Some states recognize one or more exceptions while others might recognize none at all. In addition, the definition of these exceptions also may vary from state to state. * • Bad faith, malicious, or retaliatory termination in violation of public policy. * • Termination in breach of the implied...
Words: 2299 - Pages: 10
...SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH Cover sheet for Assignment 1 Student Surname__Ullman_________ Student First Name___Kiri_______________ Student Number _____16156957__________________________________________ Unit Name _____Healthcare Systems in Australia_______________________________ Assignment ____SWOT Analysis and Report__________________________________ Unit Coordinator__Caroline Yates__________________________________________ Date Due __10/04/2015____________________________________________________ 10/04/2015 10/04/2015 Date Submitted → I, Kiri Ullman, certify that this is all my own work, and that I have maintained academic integrity. I maintain there has been no colluding or plagiarism in this assignment. Signed Kiri Ullman 16156957 Contents 1.0 Introduction____________________________________________________________2 2.0 Strengths 2.0.1 Medicare__________________________________________________________2 2.0.2 Eligibility and Coverage of Medicare___________________________________3 3.0 Weaknesses 3.0.1 Indigenous Health__________________________________________________3 3.0.2 Availability________________________________________________________4 3.0.3 Limitations of Medicare______________________________________________4 4.0 Opportunities 4.0.1 E-health Records and Technology_____________________________________4 4.0.2 Ambulance Fees____________________________________________________5 5.0...
Words: 1960 - Pages: 8
...initiative. Please Read How You Can Help Keep the Encyclopedia Free Author & Citation Info | Friends PDF Preview | InPho Search | PhilPapers Bibliography Kant and Hume on Morality First published Wed Mar 26, 2008; substantive revision Sun Aug 12, 2012 The ethics of Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) is often contrasted with that of David Hume (1711–1776). Hume's method of moral philosophy is experimental and empirical; Kant emphasizes the necessity of grounding morality in a priori principles. Hume says that reason is properly a “slave to the passions,” while Kant bases morality in his conception of a reason that is practical in itself. Hume identifies such feelings as benevolence and generosity as proper moral motivations; Kant sees the motive of duty—a motive that Hume usually views as a second best or fall back motive—as uniquely expressing an agent's commitment to morality and thus as conveying a special moral worth to actions. Although there are many points at which Kant's and Hume's ethics stand in opposition to each other, there are also important connections between the two. Kant shared some important assumptions about morality and motivation with Hume, and had, early in his career, been attracted to and influenced by the sentimentalism of Hume and other British moralists. The aim of this essay is not to compare Hume and Kant on all matters ethical. Instead, we examine...
Words: 24372 - Pages: 98
