John Stuart Mill Essay Example for Free

John Stuart Mill Essay James P. Sterba writes about how people can become more ethics, challenges environmentalism, feminism, and multiculturalism when pursuing their goals in school, work place, and relationships in his book â€Å"Introducing ethics: for here and now. Moreover, he also has a concern that ethics are a personal set of principles that conduct right and wrong. This can be based in religious beliefs, based on a fear of the law and its consequences or just behavior. What is ethical for one person may not be the same for someone else. Someone who is ethical may or may not be religious but have a high ethical standard (a feeling of right or wrong) but that does not mean that you have to have a religious belief to be ethical. Ethics are a personal set of principles that conduct right and wrong. This can be based in religious beliefs, based on a fear of the law and its consequences or just behavior. What is ethical for one person may not be the same for someone else. Someone who is ethical may or may not be religious but have a high ethical standard (a feeling of right or wrong) but that does not mean that you have to have a religious belief to be ethical. As Chin-Ning Chu wrote in the book â€Å"Thick Face, Black Heart†: â€Å"you can succeed the way you are† (107). So, it is pretty clear that the result of doing all things will be greater when prompted by intrinsic motivation rather than external forces. Everyone has his or her own personal ethics, for me this means being honest to my self in everything I do. I use my personal ethics to help in making choices that affect every aspect of my life. Personal ethics for me mean that I choose to be who I am and don’t let others effect the way I think or behave. Ethics are what makes us who we are and how we react to situations. In school it is important to have personal ethics, this helps us to be honest, uphold the academic integrity, and be able to follow the rules that are set for us. When at work, home or while dealing with others your personal ethics come into play. People don’t even realize that they use these every day to make choices that will affect them. Ethics is important for too many ways: its standard code of living, it is a code by which we live by, ethics help determine what is right or wrong in our individual cultures. It also is an important factor in the way people see each other’s and do stuff together. Ethics its also important because it decides what action we will take. It is the foundation for any civilized society. Also because ethics help us to remain on stable ground in an ever-changing world and that a person’s ethics can be changed. It means this challenge could only effectively be met by a non-question begging argument that favored morality over both egoism and altruism(Stebra 48). People are fully willing to do what they love, and they embrace the activities with a sense of interest and commitment. Moreover, autonomy is the opposite of being controlled. The distinction between â€Å"I choose to do this† and â€Å"I have to do this† is the essence of autonomy. But, first thing they have to think that its right or wrong to do it. John Stuart Mill, in his book Utilitarianism, claims, It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied [Mill JS: 1863]. This will show that the advantages of being a human dissatisfied are better than those of a pig satisfied. But before this can be proven, we have to understand the metaphor that compares humans to pigs. Mill compares two types of people: people who prefer to be humans according to his definition, and those that prefer to be pigs. As pigs would eat up anything that comes their way, those who choose to live the life of the pig, accept all that they are exposed to. They live unexamined lives [Mill JS: 1863] in that they do not question anything, but rather accept all that they are told. A human on the other hand, doesnt just accept everything, but questions what there are exposed to. This type of person lives an examined life, and it is that life that Mill proposes that we should strive for. But besides this fact, pigs and humans do have something in common. This is consciousness, as both humans and pigs are aware of their surroundings and can interact with their environments by basic instinct. This common factor helps in making an intelligent comparison between the two. The consciousness though, that they both have, is of a different character. A humans consciousness has character, and can be broken up into three main faculties. Firstly a human has conscience: the inner voice that tells between right and wrong. Secondly a human has free will, in that humans can override instinct in order to make free choices. In addition, if you have good ethics you will have good business. Business ethics are a moral code that people conducting any sort of business should feel honorably obligated to follow. People are definitely morally responsible to follow a code of ethics and should never cheat each other. Parts of this code of ethics should be honesty, integrity, fidelity, charity, responsibility, and self-discipline. Those ethics should apply both to a person buying something, and a person selling something. I dont believe that a person should be forced to follow the caveat emptor policy, on the basis that it is unfair and unjust both to the buyer and seller. If you are an ethical person, you should not have to warn people to beware. A person selling something is morally obligated to inform the purchaser of several things: the value of the car at cost, faithfulness to the client, and be able to answer any questions honestly, without any holdbacks. In The Grapes of Wrath, it is obvious that the car dealer was not ethical at all. For example, they used to coerce women into liking specific cars, so the husband would have to feel forced to buy the car to impress their girlfriends/wives. Another example is how the car dealer used to put lousy parts into the cars and sell them, knowing that the car would break down 5 miles down the road. He took advantage of the peoples necessity to get out of Oklahoma for his own personal gain. Also, the buyer has a certain responsibility too. They need to make sure to not completely trust the seller, because not everyone is ethical. They should examine the goods carefully, ask educated questions, and read up on the topic before going ahead and buying something. For example, in The Grapes of Wrath, the car dealer was able to take more advantage of the people because he can see the raw need on their faces, and how they didnt really ask anything to make him give them a better deal. So, people become successful easily when they have good ethics. We will do it better and enjoy it more than those told to do it for reward. In the world, many people succeed because they feel comfortable and enjoy what they have done. Life has many ups and downs, but we can survive in our life because we are who we are and we believe in our abilities to do everything; this will help us overcome our problems. Like me, I chose my own way because I enjoy learning about business and believe that I can do it the best. My personal ethics can support me while I achieve my goals in life. Works Cited Chu, Chin-Ning. Thick Face Black Heart. Beaverton, Or: AMC, 1992. Print. James P. Sterba Introduction Ethics: for here and now. Pearson; 1 edition (February 8, 2012). The Grapes of Wrath. Penguin Classics; Revised edition (March 28, 2006). I define myself as an individual who is strong and possess a will that motivates me make any sacrifice to satisfy my inner perfection that I desire. Others see me as someone who is analytical, organized, and self-conscious. And yet, those characteristics that I have can help me become mature and understand this world with different points of view. I have a dream to be successful. . Even though I only spent five hours a week, I really enjoy and am proud with this job. Her experience also taught me an invaluable lesson: â€Å"Never give up. † Therefore, I can be better if I try my best and keep going on the way I chose.

Racial Inequality in the United States :: Race Social Justice Essays Blacks

Racial Inequality in the United States The book, Volunteer Slavery, is Jill Nelson’s account of the racial problems she faced as a Black employee in a White company. Working for the Washington Post was a terrible experience for Nelson whose race prevented her from fitting in with co-workers or agreeing with management. Alex Kajtar says, â€Å"...Jill Nelson's account of an authentic African-American experience is a disturbing, disappointing and upsetting image of present-day American society...† (Kajtar). Many people would agree with this statement if they read the book, too. However, the problem is that most Americans will never read her book, and will remain ignorant to the plight of the Black American. Thus, the problem is not that Blacks cannot assimilate into White society â€Å"properly,† it is that Whites prevent Blacks from developing their identity. In America there is a phenomenon where some people benefit from the color of their skin, while others are persecuted for the same reason. The White establishment thrust Blacks and other minorities into an â€Å"other† category, and punishes them for their differences. This system gives White people many advantages over other groups. This racial advantage has been labeled â€Å"White privilege, and allows Whites to be complacent about racial issues because instead of be hurt they actually benefit from their race. Their blindness to the problems of American culture like this, prevent them from seeing the â€Å"disturbing, disappointing and upsetting† aspects of Black life. Whites are highly unaware of the â€Å"authentic African-American experience† because they choose to remain ignorant (Kajtar). In this way the also choose to benefit from their inequalities that they have implemented into the American system. Blacks are prevented from enjoying life in the American work force because of their race. The problem is that Whites cause Black misery, but do nothing to change this. Jill Nelson’s White supervisors could have been more accommodating to Nelson’s needs. They could have taken measures to make her more comfortable in the work place, possible by hiring more Blacks. Their newspaper could have began to portray Blacks in a more positive, truthful light.

The Paradoxical Twins: Acme and Omega Electronics

The Paradoxical Twins: Acme and Omega Electronics Prepared by Samuel Jackson Rene smith Pedro curiz Tomm Brown for Dr. Jordan MAN 701 – Organizational Design and Theory School of Business/Graduate Studies Barry University Miami Gardens, Fla. Term A2/Spring, 2006 March 25, 2006 Case Summary: In 1986 a Cleveland manufacture bought Technological Products and subsequently sold the electronics division to separate investors that manufactured computer chips and printed circuit boards. One of the investors renamed their company Acme Electronics and the other investor renamed their company Omega Electronics, Inc. The Acme company retained its original management team and promoted the general manager to president. The Omega company hired a new president and upgraded several of its existing personnel. Both companies are located in the same geographical area and compete for the same contracts. Acme employs 550 people, whereas the Omega employs 480 people. In the 1990s, production of complex circuit boards by Acme and Omega was threatened by mixed analog and digital devices. Both companies realized the pending threat and started to aggressively seek new customers. In July of 1992, a major photocopier manufacturer was looking for subcontractors to assemble digital memory units for a new experimental copier. The project contract was estimated between $7 million to $9 million in sales. Both Acme and Omega submitted competitive bids for the production of units and both companies were selected to produce 100 units. The photocopier manufacturer explained to both companies that production speed was a critical element of the contract and that each company would only have about two weeks to produce the prototypes or risk delaying the final copier production. On July 13, 1992 the Acme company started ordering the necessary the parts and began production on the memory units. Each department worked separately and encountered problems that led to delays in the production cycle. Two days prior to the delivery date the photocopier manufacturer informed Acme that the rival company Omega had discovered a design flaw in the connector cable and that he would be sending over a new blueprint to re-work the memory units. According to the photocopier manufacture, Acme would still be held to the delivery date. On July 10, 1992, Omega started having meetings to get production underway. Within days the Drafting department prepared blueprints, while the engineering and production departments work together to begin methods design. However, on July 20 Omega discovered a design flaw in the connector cable. The engineering department redesigned the cable and the drafting department finalized the changes in the manufacturing prints. The additional delays in reassembly of the units at Acme caused them to deliver the 100 units late. However, Omega completed a full quality inspection of all 100 units and delivered the final units on time. The photocopier manufacturer split the contract between Acme and Omega and included additional provisions stipulating zero defects and reduced final cost. Ultimately, the Acme reduce it overall cost by 20 percent and won the total contract. Summary Recommendation: The Omega company should consider redesigning its organizational structure to become more functional in design in order to take advantage of economies of scale; in-depth skill knowledge and overall efficiency. The company should implement organization charts with clearly define job duties and responsibilities so employees fully understand their role in the organization. Also, the management team should used formal written communication to covey project expectations and a sense of urgency to complete the assignment within the allotted time frame. Case Analysis: The Acme Company appears to be designed around being efficient and task oriented in order to be a high volume manufacturer. The company has detailed organizational charts and job descriptions which define clear responsibilities. Management believes in providing written communication to achieving the task at hand. In fact, as soon as the company received the blueprints management immediately sent out written communication to all department heads and executives indicating the critical constraints and the expectations of performing efficiently. Based on the organizational structure, each department worked independently and at different speeds. Mr. Tyler, President was developing a relationship with the photocopier manufacturer by keeping in telephone contact and trying to learn of new developments. The Acme strategy has traditionally been to keep the client happy. In a time of crisis, Mr. Tyler was able to give direct orders and instruct certain departments to reconfigure the components as needed. At the same time critical decisions were made to skip normal quality control processes to stay on course. Ultimately, the company generated 90 quality made units with 10 being defective. On the other hand, the Omega Company appears to be designed around the team work approach to achieve production goals. The company does not have organizational charts and management believes that all employees should be familiar with various activities throughout the organization. Also, management does not allow written memos to the staff employees. Once the company received the blueprints management began having meetings to discuss the production method instead of dividing up the specific work assignments to achieve. The engineering and production departments pooled resources to work on the methods design. On the positive side, most of the problems identified within Omega’s production cycle were resolved quickly and overcome by the team effort approach. In the time of crisis and rapid changes needed to produce a quality product the company was able to effectively work as a team. Ultimately, the company delivered a high quality product with no defects and within the required time frame. Alternative Identified: Since, Omega is relatively small with only a few product lines the first alterative would be for the company to be more formal in its organizational design and structure, which includes organizational charts and well defined job responsibilities in order to become more efficient and reduce cost. Recommendation: First, Omega needs to restructure the company within the next three to six months. Implement a functional organization chart that has a well define hierarchy. Next, Omega needs to immediately implement a formal communication process throughout the organization to provide clear guidance and management expectations to reduce wasted manpower and maximize available staff resources. The Omega Company should consider sending out memos to show the significant time constraint of each job deadlines and definitely continue the company’s meeting process before productions. The Acme Company needs to meet with multiple employees involved in the workflow to prevent any complication to appear during productions. Acme should require each employee to have some sort of knowledge of everyone functions in the organizations. Perhaps, have a day dedicated to altering each employee positions to have a vivid understanding of their job titles. This would slow down further delay in production if a crisis occurs. Furthermore, it’s best that Acme improve the communication flow between the actual employees.

Pride and Prejudice Study Guide

Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen that satirizes issues of marriage and social class. It follows the relationship between the quick-to-judge Elizabeth Bennet and the haughty Mr. Darcy as both learn to mend their errors in judgment and look beyond markers of social status. First published in 1813, the bitingly funny romantic comedy has endured as both a popular favorite and a literary classic. Fast Facts: Pride and Prejudice Author: Jane AustenPublisher: Thomas Egerton, WhitehallYear Published: 1813Genre: Comedy of mannersType of Work: NovelOriginal Language: EnglishThemes: Love, marriage, pride, social class, wealth, prejudiceCharacters: Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Jane Bennet, Charles Bingley, George Wickham, Lydia Bennet, William CollinsNotable Adaptations: 1940 film, 1995 television miniseries (BBC), 2005 filmFun Fact: Researchers named a pheromone in male mice that attracts females â€Å"Darcin† after Mr. Darcy. Plot Summary Pride and Prejudice opens with the Bennet familys reaction to a bit of social news: the nearby Netherfield house has been leased to Mr. Bingley, a wealthy and single young man. Mrs. Bennet expresses the belief that Bingley will fall in love with one of her daughters. Her prediction proves true at the neighborhood ball, where Bingley and the sweet eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, fall in love at first sight. At the same ball, the strong-willed second daughter Elizabeth Bennet finds herself the object of disdain from Bingley’s arrogant, antisocial friend Darcy. Caroline Bingley and Mr. Darcy convince Mr. Bingley of Jane’s disinterest and separate the couple. Elizabeth’s distaste for Darcy only grows when she befriends Wickham, a young militiaman who claims that Darcy ruined his livelihood out of spite. Darcy expresses interest in Elizabeth, but Elizabeth harshly rejects Darcy’s self-absorbed proposal of marriage. The truth soon unravels. It is revealed that Wickham spent all the money Darcy’s father left him and then tried to seduce Darcy’s younger sister. During a trip with her aunt and uncle, Elizabeth visits Darcy’s estate, Pemberley, where she begins to view Darcy in a better light. Her positive impression of Darcy grows when she learns that he has secretly used his own money to convince Wickham to marry, rather than abandon, her sister Lydia Bennet. Darcys aunt, Lady Catherine, demands that Darcy marry her daughter, but her plan backfires and instead leads to Darcy and Elizabeth finding their romantic happiness alongside a reunited Jane and Bingley. Major Characters Elizabeth Bennet. The second of the five Bennet daughters, Elizabeth (â€Å"Lizzy†) is the story’s protagonist. Playful and intelligent, she prizes her ability to make judgments quickly. Her journey of self-discovery is at the heart of the story, as she learns how to discern the truth beneath first impressions. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Mr. Darcy is a haughty and wealthy landowner who snubs Elizabeth when they first meet. He is proud of his social status and is frustrated with his own attraction to Elizabeth but, like her, he learns to overcome his previous judgments to come to a truer perspective. Jane Bennet. The sweet, pretty eldest Bennet daughter. She falls in love with Charles Bingley, Her kind, nonjudgmental nature leads her to overlook Caroline Bingley’s malice until it is almost too late. Charles Bingley. Polite, open-hearted, and a little naà ¯ve, Bingley is a close friend of Darcy. He is easily influenced by Darcy’s opinions. He falls in love with Jane but is persuaded away from her, although he learns the truth in time to make amends. George Wickham. An outwardly charming soldier, Wickham’s pleasant demeanor hides a selfish, manipulative core. Though he presents himself as a victim of Darcy’s pride, he is revealed to be the problem himself. He continues his bad behavior by seducing young Lydia Bennet. Major Themes Love and Marriage. The novel focuses on the obstacles to, and the reasons for, romantic love. Most notably, it satirizes expectations about marriages of convenience and suggests that genuine compatibility and attraction—as well as honesty and respect—are the foundations of the best matches. Characters who try to subvert this thesis are the targets of the book’s biting satire. Pride. In the novel, uncontrolled pride is one of the biggest obstacles to the characters’ happiness. In particular, pride based on notions of class and status is framed as ridiculous and unfounded in real values. Prejudice. Making judgments about others can be useful, but not when those judgments are formed erroneously or quickly. The novel posits that overly confident prejudice must be overcome and tempered before the characters can reach happiness. Social Status. Austen famously satirizes the manners and obsessions of class distinctions. While none of the characters are socially mobile in the modern sense, obsessions with status are presented as foolish and arrogant. Wealth and inheritance do matter, though, as evidenced by Mr. Collins’ presence as Mr. Bennet’s heir. Literary Style Austen’s writing is famous for one particular literary device: free indirect discourse. Free indirect discourse is the technique of writing thoughts that seem to come from an individual characters mind, without shifting into first-person narration or using action tags such as she thought. This device gives readers access to inner thoughts and helps to solidify the characters’ unique voices. The novel was written in the Romantic period of literature, which was at its peak in the first half of the 19th century. The movement, which was a reaction against the onslaught of industrialism and rationalism, emphasized individuals and their emotions. Austen’s work fits into this framework to a degree, as it emphasizes decidedly non-industrial contexts and focuses primarily on the emotional lives of richly drawn individual characters. About the Author Born in 1775, Jane Austen is best known for her sharp observations of a small social circle: country gentry, with a few lower-tier military families in the mix. Her work prized the inner lives of women, featuring complicated characters who were flawed yet likable and whose internal conflicts were as important as their romantic entanglements. Austen shied away from over-sentimentality, preferring instead to mix heartfelt emotions with a helping of pointed wit.