Category: Uncategorized

Name

Professor

Course

Date

Med- Peds Personal Statement

My experiences in life have been similar to that of a chisel, cutting my life statue, and molding, modifying, and shaping it. As a native from Bangladesh, a developing country, through practicing in the US, I have widened my scope of knowledge and understanding. This is in essence of the different perspectives which are cultural, emotional, and spiritual. In turn, there will be continuums for better healthcare administration. The professional journey undertaken in medical practice is extremely a lifelong. I seek to ensure that there is improvement in all aspects of functionality. The latter awareness has influenced and motivated my application for residency in your prestigious residency program, known all over the world.

My journey started a few years ago, upon entering medical school, which has had a great impact in my life. I was not decided about the areas of specialty, and consequently rotated through many areas without any focus. I found my rotations in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics to be specially rewarding as it ignited some kind of passion in me. I was extremely comfortable in the newborn nursery, in the nursing home, inpatient ward settings, intensive care units, emergency departments and most importantly, the ambulatory clinic as well as office. I met patients with a wide variety of cases, such as adults with congenital heart disease. Other patients were those with type 2 diabetes, which affects the American population greatly. I realized that through integrating Internal Medicine with Pediatrics, the outcome is the rigidity to care for multiple generations of patients. Concurrently, this occurs within the context of the family in multiple settings. The transition of care for patients with chronic illnesses from pediatrics to internal medicine is very unique. Also, it is challenging to this combined specialty, that I wish to pursue at a professional level.

Graduating from medical school is a moment, which will forever be cherished. I possess all the needed and required traits to help me in this great career. The rounded approach in healthcare was reinforced during my internship and also at a tertiary care hospital. The latter was possible because I interacted with a wide array of patients, educating them on topics from childhood asthma, to congestive cardiac failure as well as metastatic lung carcinoma. In addition, I have served in many primary health care centers for a generous amount of time in undertakings anchored in rural communities. This ensured that I became competent through the extensive clinical experience. These experiences have not only widened the repertoire of understanding of health care administration at community level, but also provided great opportunities for growth in terms of interpersonal skills, teamwork, and leadership attributes.

Despite leaving behind a well-founded career, family, friends and everything else, I appreciate and value, I have no doubt this was the correct path to my professional realization. My determination is responsible for all the undertakings incurred in my life. Upon arrival in the United States, I effortlessly worked with physicians in Internal Medicine at the Pediatrics at Los Angeles County Medical Center and White Memorial Medical Center. Here I became familiarized with the integration, which is multidisciplinary, in medical centers that facilitate departmental communication. This is an integral part of Internal Medicine-Pediatrics specialty whereby, specialty is combined. In addition, I have volunteer experience in nursing programs for elementary schools, and thus, had the opportunity of interacting with the students. The result is that my understanding regarding child health maintenance and prevention has increased. In case of an emergency situation, it will easily be handled. Dealing with behavioral issues has increased my real-world experiences in various diverse set-ups, and experiences within multidisciplinary team situations. The MSC in Global Medicine at University of Southern California, which I am undertaking, has further influenced my knowledge on world health issues and innovative medicine. Moreover, serving as a Research Associate at the university, ensures my financial obligations are met. Most importantly, I am able to retain currency about growth, research, and innovation in the practice of medicine.

The road to becoming a physician has been long and demanding, but my great zeal for success and determination as well as to excel, has made me progress further. I hereby seek residency at your prestigious program. The rigorous curriculum, research emphasis on topics that are evidence based, faculty support and diverse residents’ fraternity makes your program ideal for my professional objectives attainment. Personally, residency program quality is vital as compared to convenience. The prospects for didactic learning, practice experience, and opportunity to serve diverse patient population make me extremely excited. This program suits me well.

After the program is over and I have graduated, I hope to acquire a fellowship in subspecialty or in a primary care setting, which is live in. Through clinical research and teaching, I hope to contribute to academic medicine. My growing conceptions concerning repertoire of spiritual, emotional, and cultural applications in the continuums of better health care administration are known. The community will be served better in the latter field of specialization. My dream will be achieved through gaining admission to this program. I kindly ask that my application is considered. Thank you in advance.

Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals

Lockheed Martin’s mission, vision, values, and goals are as follows:

Mission: “We solve complex challenges, advance scientific discovery and deliver innovative solutions to help our customers keep people safe” (Lockheed Martin Corporation 2022). This mission means that the company is in place to provide solutions to complex issues, advancement of scientific discovery and provision of channel where innovative solution in the industry can be sought to help ensure the safety of the people their customers serve. This is clear especially based on the fact that the company deals with government agencies and hence the end user impacted by the technology is the citizen. Ensuring that the end user is safe is paramount and hence all decisions, innovations and advancements must be based on this mission and all operations aligned to it, which is an actual reality for the company.

Vision: “Be the global leader in supporting our customers’ missions, strengthening security and advancing scientific discovery” (Lockheed Martin Corporation 2022). Lockheed Martin envisions itself as a leader in supporting its clients’ missions in areas of security with a clear focus on advocating for scientific discovery.

Values: The company identifies its core values as; Do What’s Right, Respect Others, and Perform with Excellence (Lockheed Martin Corporation 2022). For the company to achieve its vision of being a global leader, it has recognized that it must respect issues such as diversity, human rights and good labor practices as well as quality driven performance. Thus, the company directly indicates that it values and admire doing that which is right in all situations and circumstances; maintaining self-respect and respect for others; and ensuring that all performances are geared towards excellence.

Thus, there is a good alignment of the company’s vision and core values. It makes sense, therefore that as a company that has been dealing with public agencies and governmental organization, its impact on the larger society is significant. Upholding the above values on a global scale will help to achieve the vision and by extension assist in realizing the broad mission of being dedicated to innovation to solve complex global and local challenges.

Goals: Besides being guided by the mission, vision and core values, Lockheed Martin has strategic goals that are short-termed and evaluated every few years. The goals are based on prevailing issues in the industry and also in the external environment and are designed to support its mission and vision. For instance, there are the Go Green Goals set in 2016 as the baseline to immediately reduce per-occupant waste by 11%, energy use by 14% in 2025 and overall carbon emission by 70% in 2030 (Lockheed Martin Corporation 2021). These professionally crafted strategic goals are set in the background of the climate change debate.

Reference

Lockheed Martin Corporation (2022). About Us. https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are.html

Lockheed Martin Corporation (2021). Lockheed Martin. Your Mission is Ours. https://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed-martin/eo/documents/lockheed-martin-fact-sheet.pdf

MGT 4750 Business Strategy

Mission Statement Revision

Review the Mission Statements of Harley-Davidson, Minolta and Delta Airline reported below. Each provides a definition of the company’s purpose. Circle the letter in questions 1-6 that most closely matches how you think the statements satisfy the criteria for defining the core purpose in terms of customer needs and how the statements express the organization’s philosophy and values.

Harley Davidson:

We fulfill dreams through the experience of motorcycling, by providing to motorcyclists and to the general public and expanding line of motorcycle and branded products and services in selected market segments. Minolta:

We will be a broad line supplier of high quality conventional and digital product and service solutions that meet our customers imaging and image distribution needs today and in the future. We will do this in a way that is both cost effective for our customers and profitable for our company.

Delta:

Making Delta, carrier of choice for customers through operational excellence, “second mile” service and building emotional connections with the disability community.

Harley-Davidson

Question 1) How closely does the mission statement define Harley-Davidson’s core purpose in terms of customer needs?

A B C

No core purpose discussed Defines core purpose in terms of product/service provided Defines core purpose very well in terms of customer needs

Question 2) Are statements of the organization’s philosophy and values included?

A B C

No statement of philosophy included Statements are vague Clearly expresses corporate philosophy/values

Delta

Question 3) How closely does the mission statement define Delta’s core purpose in terms of customer needs?

A B C

No core purpose discussed Defines core purpose in terms of product/service provided Defines core purpose very well in terms of customer needs

Question 4) Are statements of the organization’s philosophy and values included?

A B C

No statement of philosophy included Statements are vague Clearly expresses corporate philosophy/values

Minolta

Question 5) How closely does the mission statement define Minolta’s core purpose in terms of customer needs?

A B C

No core purpose discussed Defines core purpose in terms of product/service provided Defines core purpose very well in terms of customer needs

Question 6) Are statements of the organization’s philosophy and values included?

A B C

No statement of philosophy included Statements are vague Clearly expresses corporate philosophy/values

Team Activity: Mission Statement Revision

Names: Name 1, Name 2, Name 3

1) Transfer each team member’s ratings onto the charts below

Core Purpose Philosophy and Values

Team Member Harley-Davidson Delta Minolta Harley-Davidson Delta Minolta

(Name 1) B C B&C B C C

(Name 2) C B B&C B C C

(Name 3) B C B&C A C C

2) Discuss the above individual ratings. Through consensus, develop a new team rating for each of the mission statements.

Following the ratings above, (name 1) considers Harley Davidson to have defined its core purpose according to the product that it provides. In this case, (name 1) identified Harley’s focus on motorcycling and its branded products as standing out, thus being its sole focus. (Name 2), on the other hand, views Harley as having defined the core purpose in detail enough to focus on consumer needs. The focus is on the basis of providing branded products to motorcyclists and the general public. Lastly, (name 3) views Harley Davidson as focusing its efforts on the product it provides due to the fulfillment of dreams by providing branded products to different market segments. The focus is more on the products than the customers. Vague statements can be identified for Harley for names 1 & 2, while 3 sees no philosophy in Harley’s core purpose.

In the case of Delta, names 1 & 3 see the customer-centered point of Delta due to the needs being met in the process while 2 sees the product-centered view due to focus on making itself the carrier of choice. All members agree on clarity of Delta’s philosophy and values.

As per Minolta’s case, all members agree on clear communication of focus on products and customers, due to high quality products provided to meet customer needs. All members agree on a clear communication of philosophy and values.

All members unanimously agree that Harley is product-focused with vague statements, Delta is customer-focused with a clear philosophy and values, while Minolta is product and customer-focused with a clear philosophy and values.

Core Purpose Philosophy and Values

Team Member Harley-Davidson Delta Minolta Harley-Davidson Delta Minolta

Name 1,2,3 B C B&C B C C

3) Rewrite one of the company statements to incorporate an improved definition of the core purpose.

Delta: we are the carrier of choice given our operational excellence and focus on meeting the needs of the disability community through providing custom comfort to all while going the extra mile to fulfill both he customer’s and company’s needs.

4) Pick one of the company statements that could include more information regarding philosophy and values. Give examples of what might be included.

Harley Davidson could include more information on its philosophy and values. It could include focus on safety and comfort through the specialized fleet of motorcycles.

5) What other characteristics of the statements did your team notice/discuss?

The team noticed that the companies try to meet customer needs as well as their own, while still ensuring that the information is relayed in a brief summary that can be easily understood, therefore, brief and to the point. They have tried to ensure that at first glance, one knows what they are selling.

Name:

Mitigating Factors (Extra Credit Assignment) and Criminal Law

Institution

Date

Mitigating Factors and Criminal Law: A Case on Self Defense

Mr. and Mrs. Dowell have been married for twenty years and were blessed with two children Meshach and Melanie Dowell, sixteen and fourteen years old respectively. Mr. Dowell, frequently physically and verbally abused his wife, daughter and son. He was a drunkard and had lost his job several times. Rita Dowell the wife to Mr. Dowell had been a breadwinner for their family for more than six years enduring all the physical and verbal abuse while trying to protect her daughter. Mrs. Dowell had tried to leave several times but Mr. Dowell had always told her she would look for her and kill her together with her daughter and the son. Due to the years of the physical abuse, Rita seemed to believe that her abuser would actually kill her. Rita had always try to be a submissive loving wife who wanted her child to grow in a loving home although this was proving to be just but a dream. She had tried helping her husband including taking him to rehab centers for help but he was always relapsing and his violent tendencies kept growing daily.

On the night of February 29, 2004, Mr. Dowell came home heavily drunk as usual. Rita was not yet home but her daughter was in the house and just ushered his father in as he had been banging the door. When his father got him, he started raining kicks and blows to the poor girl who could not defend herself and her mother too was not in the house to help her. Luckily the brother who was not asleep came out to rescue the sister. He was only 14-years old and his father overpowered him by shoving him away as he continued beating up her daughter and trying to undress her. Meshach took his bat and hit his father on the head who immediately passed out on the floor and was bleeding from the head. On seeing this Meshach and Melanie contacted their mother who came home immediately and called ambulance services to try and rush Mr. Dowell to the hospital. However, when the Emergency Medical responders arrived, they pronounced Mr. Dowell dead. A postmortem report indicated that Mr. Dowell succumbed from his head injuries that was inflicted by a blunt object, the bat. Meshach our client was arrested by the Chicago Police Department and charged with murder.

On the night in question, Melanie had been recording her YouTube video as she was trying to kick start her career as vlogger. She was doing her recording in the living room and when she heard a knock, she left the camera still rolling knowing she would edit out the unwanted parts and furthermore, after opening the door her plan was to continue her recording. The video did capture moments where the father was beating up her daughter and although the camera toppled due to the movement, the voice recording was captured and one can hear as the brother tried to stop his father from battering her sister to when Meshach actually hits him in the head with the bat.

Meshach was acting on self-defense as he was defending her younger sister who was being physically abused by the dad. According to law self-defense is when an individual tries to defend themselves from the attack or tries to prevent an attack of another person, in our case, the latter applies. S3(1) of criminal law also provides that “A person may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances in the prevention of crime, or in effecting or assisting in the lawful arrest offenders or suspected offenders or of persons unlawfully at large” If Meshach had not intervened and saved her sister, probably her sister would be dead or rather nursing other serious injuries inflicted on her by her biological father.

Meshach has always been a disciplined boy with neighbors and teachers attesting to it. He had always performed in school and was among the best students in his class. At no point had he shown violent tendencies towards the school mates or neighbors and many know as a kind hearted boy always ready to help anyone. There are no prior records that show Meshach had ever had an encounter with the law enforcers, not even a parking ticket. On the several occasion his father had abused him physically, he never fought back but always run to avoid any more harm from the father. Meshach is not a flight risk as he has been the support system of both her sister and mother now him being the only man in the house he understands he needs to be there for them more than ever. Mischa has shown remorse for g=his action severally stating he had no intention of killing his father but rather he was trying to protect his sister and the use of the bat was because it was the only object he laid his hands on at that moment. Meshach is a young promising man who has demonstrated integrity throughout his life until that fateful night when he made that one mistake.

Questions.

Was Meshach acting on self-defense?

Possible proof: Mrs. Dowell and Melanie medical sheets on proof of physical abuse, video that captured the physical assault of Melanie on the February 29th, 2004

Did Meshach use reasonable force?Proof: use of a bat and video and voice recording

Does Meshach have a violent behavior?

Proof: Character witness from a neighbor and the teacher and a look psychiatric report by a psychologist indicating Meshach does not act rationally in heated circumstances

Had Meshach ever been abused by his father just like the mother and sister?

Proof: medical record to when he was admitted to the ER with a broken limb, witness from neighbors on broken relationship between son and father

Was Meshach actions fueled by his difficult personal history

Proof: Witness testimony of neighbors on Meshach having to take care of his sister including cooking while still young and testimony from psychologist on emotional distress Meshach was through due to his upbringing.

Does Meshach have a criminal record?

Proof: look into Meshach past criminal record and character witness

Is Meshach a flight risk?

Proof: look into his passport, examination of how often he travels out of the city

Does Meshach understand the gravity of his action?

Proof: Calling emergency responders to help his father and proof of his remorse.

Was Meshach under the influence of any drug when defending himself and the sister?

Proof: blood alcohol content analysis as well as analysis on presence of any other hard substance and character witness attributing Meshach’s character to good behavior

What were the circumstances at the time Meshach was committing the crime?

Proof of emotional distress and physical abuse from the father, proof of provocation from the father.

(Name)

(Instructors’ name)

(Course)

(Date)

Matsuo Basho “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”

Travel literature is a genre that is extremely diverse in terms of people, places and cultures. This literature exists in almost all parts of the world. Travel literature is known as narratives accounts, which have been written by groups or individuals about their journeys. It involves relying information about a place that has been visited. It is a fact that travel literature tends to be extremely descriptive, as it encompasses all what the author has witnessed during the journey. Even in today’s modern society, travel literature is popular among many people. It tends to give information regarding scientific recording and dispassionate about various countries. Most of the readers of this genre of literature are in need of learning about the exotic regions, which are exciting and new to them.

An example of a known author of travel literature is Mark Twain who wrote the novels, the ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ and the ‘Great American Novel’. The latter wrote many books, which are currently popular with many readers. The author Matuo Basho is known for being a notable Haiku poet and he came from Japan. It was during the era of the Edo that he came up with the book ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’. The intriguing journey started in Tokyo, known as Edo during the time, and on this journey traveled with a pupil called Sora. Some of the places visited by him include; Ohgaki, Hokuriku and Tohoku. The journey began in the year 1689, in the month of March, the twentieth, and ended the same year on twentieth of august.

The reason why Basho took on this journey was to find out about matters concerning his ancestors. He wanted to know his true origins in a bid to find a deeper understanding about himself. Basho believes that “Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo” (Basho & Yuasa, 1967, 68). Earlier writers of travel literature used facts in their pieces and Basho did not follow this method. Instead, he opted to uses prose in order to come up with compositions. Most times he came up with a unique sense of literary which dominated over his travel experiences. Basho did not want to be associated with earthly attachments, and this is depicted in the travel sketches he came up with. Also, he had the desire to fulfill his spiritual needs while going on this fascinating journey. The style of writing changes as Basho is about to discover the answers that he is searching for. Lastly, Basho wants to find out about the universe and the mysteries that it has. Also, he wants find out if eternity actually exists due to various elements of life that surround him. He claims that in poetry “if you’re feeling is not natural, if the object and yourself are separate, then you’re poetry is not true poetry but merely you’re subjective counterfeit” (Basho & Yuasa, 1967, 68).

The novel ‘The American Diary of a Japanese Girl’ was written by Yone Noguchi, a famous Japanese writer. The novel is based upon Trans nationalism about Japanese American, and it is also fictional. The novel focuses upon a Japanese girl who travels across various parts of the United States. The latter is known as Morning Glory, and she is eighteen years old. Morning Glory engages in vast observations, activities as well as preparations as she attempts to tour America. Both Basho and Naguchi wrote about their travelling experiences as they sort to find answers concerning life. The journey made by Morning Glory is not alone as she is accompanied by an extremely rich mining executive. The latter is Morning Glory’s uncle who is part of the travelling adventure. Basho also chose to have a companion as he undertook his journey in various Japanese lands.

Basho had a travelling sketch of the places that he visited and Naguchi also does the same. It is known that Morning Glory travelled to various American states such as Chicago, San Francisco, and New York. At the various states, activities done by Morning Glory are known. Naguchi ensures that the reader of her novel is aware about the reason why Morning Glory chose to travel. It seems that the latter was in search of adventure as well as a new sense of being. This is similar to what Basho was in search of; only that he did not go on the journey with the aim of obtaining adventure. As most people believe that the United States is a land where amusing things place, so did Morning Glory. The latter experienced the American life in the most exciting way possible. Her wealthy uncle made it possible for her to experience life the easy way. One knows that she visited exquisite places such as Nob Hill and the Palace Hotel. In contrast, Bash did not have a journey that was as successful as that of Morning Glory.

Morning Glory acquires things that she did not anticipate, such as improving her literary skills and even having a relationship. This shows the cultural exchanges that took place between the Americans and the Japanese. On the other hand, Basho found some answers that he sort to know by going on the journey. Basho only interacted with Japanese people as during that time in history many people did not travel to foreign lands (Noguchi, 2007.56). Finally, Morning Glory decided that she has had enough of the positive life of American and wants to experience something different. In turn, she decides to take up a job as a servant, in order to experience another riveting American journey.

Basho uses poetry in coming up with his travel literature, while, on the other hand, Naguchi writes in the usual manner. They have used different styles of literature, yet they are providing similar information, which regards to travelling. This means that an author can put across information according to the different styles they decide to use. Furthermore, travelling literature gives vital information regarding various aspects of life of different people. Moreover, Werner Herzog in his film ‘Wheel of Time’ focuses on travelling. It features the travelling done by the journey undertaken by a Kalachakra. The latter visits several places such as Mohabodhi Temple, Bodhgaya, Bodhi Tree and Mount Kailash. In fact, this is what the Dalai Lama focuses upon most times in his speeches (Herzog, 2005.34). He is advocating for people to have an opportunity to travel to various regions without being restricted. This is similar to the journeys made by Basho and Morning Glory, only that their movements were not restricted. In conclusion, traveling literature is fascinating and people should make an attempt to read it.

Work Cited

Basho, Matsuo. & Yuasa, Nobuyuki. The Narrow Road to the Deep North and other Travel Sketches. New York: Penguin Classics. 1967. Print.

Noguchi, Yone. Et Al. The American Diary of a Japanese Girl : An Annotated Edition. New York : Temple University Press. 2007. Print.

Herzog. Werner, Wheel of Time. 2005.

American Democracy

It is argued that the media plays a crucial role in the American democracy. The press has been always present and has acquired a magnitude of privilege that no other industry enjoys in the American Constitution. It is widely observed that many journalists of United States view themselves as protectors of the system of government and this is also echoed by the framers of the Constitution. This role if pursued by media with passion is bound to bring discomfort from those in power hence resulting to tension between the politicians and the press. The public is therefore caught in the middle and thus sometimes forced to agree with the press on certain issues and to side with the politicians other times. The press exhibits the political power and this has become a subject to look into by many people. The American press has been blamed and praised on many aspects of political life. The political system only survives because of the media and vise and versa, (Emery, M and Edwin E, 2000).

The contemporary media has become more pervasive than it was a few decades ago. The growth in the usage of mass media and its availability are the facts to note in the America life. The primary examples of mass media are Television, which spread across the nation in the early 1950s and the Internet which is spreading like bush fire throughout the country. Print media has a wider following more especially by the Americans who can influence the political process. The political talk radio carved itself a niche and this led to mushrooming of many radio stations over the past two decades, thus Americans spent more time listening to them as they go about their activities.

The development of press-politician relations in America has been regarded as twofold. In the first part the politicians got more dependent on the press as the political parties weakened in 1960s and second politicians went ahead to use press for their own benefit but the journalist responded aggressively by defending their role as society’s watchdog for democracy.

The candidates were forced to cultivate good relationships with the voters as a result of the weakening of the political parties system and this was done through the mass media. The transition from party centered system to a candidate centered system meant that both politicians and the public had to depend on the news media for vital information.

President Ronald Reagan is highly viewed with awe because of his relationship with the news media. Reagan turned the media more especially the television into a national megaphone to propel his policies. Reagan pioneered news management techniques though the press and the public take it for granted, (Emery, M and Edwin E, 2000).

Reference

Emery, M and Edwin E, (2000). The Press and America: Evolution of the Mass Media. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Business in the USA

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Business in the USA

I would like to agree with President Obama for asserting that no one can succeed in any kind of business without involvement of the government. It is true that individuals succeed in business, as a result of their initiatives, determinations and industry characteristics. However, the contribution of the government should not be overlooked (Howkins, 2001).

To begin with, the government is deeply involved in the corporate sector through the provision of protective laws. It is the government and its agencies, which oversee the enactment and enforcement of laws, such as copyright control. These are exclusively aimed at protecting the patent rights of entrepreneurs. Otherwise, if there were no regulations, the businessmen would not have an opportunity to claim their innovations, because anyone would be free to infringe on such a right. Besides, the government provides police forces, which are concerned about the security of all people. As a result, the entrepreneurs will be secured and motivated to carry out their business activities in a more comfortable way.

At the same time, the government participates in the development of businesses by investing in the public infrastructure, like roads, bridges, railway lines, airplanes and trains. These are very important facilities, which directly contribute to the success of any business venture. All retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers rely on public media to transport their raw materials and finished commodities. However, this is not their effort, because it is fully sponsored by the government (Carlet al., 2009).

In conclusion, I would like to commend the government for its imminent contribution into business. However, in order to promote business culture and subsequently, create more jobs in the country, it should not overtax the entrepreneurs. Similarly, it should not promote the enforcement of unnecessary red tapes. Instead, it should come up with legislations, which can attract both domestic and foreign investors into America. This is the only way through which such investors will be motivated to come into the country and create more jobs for the Americans.

References

Carl, D.K., et al. (2009, November). Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States. Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy, Third Edition, p. 118

Howkins, J. (2001). The Creative Economy: How People Make Money From Ideas. London:

Penguin Books.

TO: The Director of Human Resources at McKinsey 

FROM: Enter Name, Accounting Special Consultant

DATE: April 21, 2021

SUBJECT: Structuring the Compensation Package

With reference to the principles of mental accounting, and the need for McKinsey to structure their compensation package to maximize the number of offers accepted, it is important to first understand the concept of transaction versus acquisition utility. According to Thaler (188), acquiring a product requires one to code it as a gain compared to the forgone money as a loss. As such, McKinsey should codify a compensation package in terms of acquisition utility and transaction utility where the former measures the value of what is to be obtained relative to the cost, while the latter measures the perceived value of the entire process (Thaler 188). The result of this mental accounting reasoning is that McKinsey will look for the best compensation package based on its need to maximize the number of offers accepted and will also manage to find transaction and acquisition utility from the process. Because of the utility that the company is looking to attain, setting the compensation ceiling and floor will be important towards its overall aim. McKinsey will have to use an amount they are willing to pay as compensation, an amount already in the budget, code it as important and proceed to provide what they were already willing to spend in order to maximize the number of offers accepted in recruitment.

To retain employees, mental accounting introduces the concept of the diversification heuristic. Thaler (202) describes the diversification heuristic as an observation where people prefer to diversify more given several choices at once, compared to when making the same decision sequentially. In line with this thinking, McKinsey should structure its compensation in a way that gives the employees several choices at once regarding their compensation preference without adding to the total compensation. McKinsey employees should be given different choices as part of their compensation package such as base pay, insurance benefits, and company stock options grouped together as one package or another one made up of different percentages of the same package to ensure that employees choose one of the two compensation packages as opposed to a single base pay that is higher in amount. The intention here is to create a sense of diversification, thus increasing overall satisfaction amongst the employees. Employees would proceed to pick one of the package options because they mentally account for the other additions to the base pay as separate incomes. By using this compensation structure, McKinsey will attain its agenda to retain employees through the diversification heuristic.

Abu Dhabi Company For Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO)

The ADCO (Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations) is an oil exploration company in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi founded on 2nd December 1971. It is one of the companies forming ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company). Its first discovery of oil for commercial purposes was in 1960 at Bab, but actual drilling and exportation started in 1963. It was first known as ADPC (Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company Ltd). In 1973 the government of Abu Dhabi emirates bought 25 percent of the company shares and increased them to 60 percent in the next year. The company was incorporated as ADCO in 1978 as stipulated in Law No. 14 for 1978 and starting from February the following year it was given the mandate to operate in the concession areas. The concession areas that it operates cover a distance of 21,000 km2. Its main operations include exploration, production, development, export and transfer of gas and oil from shallow coastal water and onshore oil fields. Currently it runs six oil and gas fields in Aab, Sahil, Bab, Bu Hasa, North-East Bab, and Shah. Its storage and shipping facility is located at Jebel Dhanna. The company in its 2012 report announced a daily production rate of 1,344,991 barrels in 1,217 oil wells in its concession areas. In the same year it reported that its number of employees totaled 5,879 (“Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations”, n.d).

Its operation is organized into five key blocks. These includes South east asset, Bab & Gas Assest, Buhasa/Huwala/BQ Asset, NEB Asset and Terminals, Pipleine & Oil/Gas Movements Operation Asset. Close to a third of the company total production output comes from South East Asset. This covers 7525 km2. It comprises of five key field including Asab, Shah, Sahil,Qusahwira and Mender. The Bab asset represents Bab filed. It accounts for 75 percent of the total non associated and associated gas produced by the company. Bu Hasa includes three major fields Bu Hasa, Huwaila, and Bida Al-Qemzan (BQ). 40 percent of the company daily production is generated by these fields. The NEB comprises of three productions filed including Al Dabb’iya, Shanayel, and Rumaitha. It accounts for 8 percent of the company production. The terminal, pipeline & oil/ gas movements operation asset, acts as the company door to international market. This asset is responsible for management of the main shipment terminal, Jabel Dhana as well as the company main pipeline network, which Is about 704 Kms (“Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations”, n.d)..

Top management at ADCO recognizes the importance of team work in fostering employees’ effectiveness and productivity. They have well developed clubs and recreation team to bring their employees together. The aim is to create a social and friendly working environment through the concept of ‘ADCO Family’. In order to manage different clubs in the organization, ARB-ADCO Recreation Board was established in 1997 and mandated with this responsibility. The goal of forming ARB and different clubs was to promote the spirit of teamwork and extend these values to the entire organization. The firm employees are able to meet and form stronger bonds. The ARB now is composed of many types of clubs including badminton, basket & volleyball, equestrian club, football, ladies club, marine club, socio-education, tennis, snooker, karate, bowling and squash. Each of these teams has its own history. For instance, the badminton club brings together people with shared interest. The team participates in competition with employees from other ADNOC subsidiary companies. Each year one of these companies is charged with the responsibility of preparing the tournament. The tournament brings together employees from different companies and their families.

Factors that can affect job design in this organization include those related to task like work practices and ergonomics as well as behavioral factors like availability of feedback. The organizational factors such as policies adopted by the firm for female employees and employee family members can all have an impact on the productivity. The company claims that it values workplace diversity and that its people comprises of people from different backgrounds. However, on closer look the company leadership is male dominated with males being appointed as the heads of its 24 governance bodies (ADCO Sustainability report, 2012). With the number of female employees employed by the company increasing absence of female in leadership position is likely to affect their productivity in the company. The company policy with regard to work from remote location is also another factor affecting job design. The company permits employees to work from remote locations through the extranet service provided by the firm. The company also employs some employees on contractual basis. As a result, it has different policies in treating these employees. For instance they do not enjoy similar employee benefits as those enjoyed by the permanent employees. These employees management is done by the contractors. Safety is a major issue affecting workers productivity in the oil exploration industry. Therefore, ergonomic consideration in the design of company facilities and tools being used is a major factor that can affect productivity. As indicated by its operation decentralization the company has a wide organization structure.

To improve ADCO and make its job design more efficient there it is important to review some of the policies. Top management should consider job enrichment opportunities in the firm. The firm should for instance eliminate factors that can lead to dissatisfaction in the workplace like absence of female on leadership positions. It should reconsider its administration and policy strategy to ensure that female voices are represented in the highest echelon. Addressing this can also motivate women because it will create room for them to improve their productivity because there is a possibility of moving upward. Apart from that the company should review the provision of working from remote location because this can lead to lower productivity. Fostering teamwork is better than giving employee an opportunity to work from remote locations. This is because it fosters employee innovativeness. The company should also take into consideration employee safety requirements when designing its facilities to improve productivity. Women in particularly are less disadvantaged because they do not have appropriate safety gear though the company is moving towards this direction. Lastly, due to its wide organization structure the company the company will require effective supervisory measures. This is to ensure that employees are getting timely and positive feedbacks with regard to their work. As the company like many other in Abu Dhabi pursue Emiratization strategy in the workforce (ADCO Sustainability report, 2012). Management should consider opportunities for mentoring and coaching for the younger employees entering in the workforce. They can also consider having a job rotation strategy where such employees are moved to different specialized jobs as opposed to staying in one to give them a broader perspective of the organization and stimulate their interest.

References

Abu Dhabi Company for Oil Operations (ADCO). About Us. Retrieved on Nov 21, from: http://www.adco.ae/En/AboutUs/Pages/default.aspx

Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operation Sustainability Report 2012. Retrieved on Nov 21, from: http://www.adco.ae/En/hse/Pages/Sustainability-Report.aspx

Business Ethics

Name:

Affiliation:

Course:

Instructor’s name:

Date:

Business Ethics

The inclination is being a mark of a virtuous person to assume pleasure in moral obligation. In other words, it refers to whatever a person wants to do. The definition faced criticism from Emmanuel Kant, questioning its moral worth. Kant insisted that an individual acting subjectively on the grounds of duty at the hand of the contrary inclination shows a higher degree of moral worthiness. Kant also defined reason as metaphysical ideas that are pure independent of sensibility and understanding. According to Kant, people’s actions are governed by pure reason as opposed to religion. Some actions may bring about contradiction, but Kant insists that if one approves of a particular maxim should not lead to a disclaimer. In other words, there is no exception to one’s self. For example, if you decide to steal based on the fact that you are hungry, you approve of the maxim of stealing, and other people should always do that in similar situations. That brings about contradiction as not all people will agree on that maxim.

Hypothetical imperatives refer to the commands that people should always follow to achieve a specific goal. Hypothetical imperatives are mostly inclined to prudence rather than morality. In other words, people do things with less consideration to moral choice; instead, it is just a contingent in their desires. For example, someone who aspires to score good grades at school should always study, and if not, learning becomes an option. On the other hand, categorical imperatives (CI) are commands that people should always adhere to irrespective of their desires. They are moral obligations that people must follow as they bind all the people, and it does not matter whether or not one wants to be ethical. According to Kant, these obligations come from pure reason as what people presume right or wrong is knowable.

The first principle of CI is the universalizability principle. The approach state that people should always act based on the general rule without contraction. In other words, one should always be fair and not make an exception to his/herself in given situations. The universalizability principle demand people to always do things that they approve others to do in similar situations. According to Kant, the categorical imperative’s application always leads to a fixed moral truth, which is usable to all moral agents. Failure to adhere to those principles often brings about contradiction. Sandbu gives an analogy that involved him requiring a loan, and he is confident that he will be given the loan based on confidence that he will repay. He, however, has no plans to repay the loan.

Based on the categorical imperatives, his decisions to get a loan from someone is based on lies. The CI principles do not approve of the maxim of lying, which will lead to the lender being unable to make a rational decision. The lender is being robbed of the ability to make the right decisions to help Sandbu. CI disapproves of things like lying and deception since one will always be unable to make an autonomous decision on how to respond as such decisions are based on wrong information. In other words, Sandbu treats his money lender as a mere means to executive his objectives without any consideration of his lender’s goals and interests. Based on Sandbu’s argument, actions can be right if done based on our obligation’s inclination. The table (P. 145) indicates that it should be at least possible for its execution out of responsibility instead of a preference for moral consideration on an action. However, it does not necessarily mean that it is a prerequisite for action to be done out of duty to be regarded as right.

Kantian Company holds that people have rights or are rather preloaded with strategies for discussing which rights individuals have. Kant is more inclined to treat all humans as an end and not as a mere means. Things can be used as mere means, but when it comes to humans, that is somewhat different as people are ends in themselves. People are rational and autonomous; thus, they can set their objectives and work towards achieving them. People have always been used by others to achieve what they want but not as mere means. A company can use its employees to achieve its financial objectives but not as mere means. The logic behind that is, humans are not like any other things in the world; instead, they are governed by themselves. Humans can set their ends as well as make free judgments based on their rational wills. Humans are embused with an absolute moral; hence, they cannot manipulate or manipulate other autonomous agents for individual interests.

According to Kant, charitable giving is neither essential nor adequate for the conduct purposes of ethical business. It is evident that corporate social responsibility is somewhat an imperfect obligation in typical cases, and people’s discretion is entrusted with determining how, when, and where to discharge it. In general, there exist mere justifications to presume that anything else is applicable when it comes to business context. In other words, nobody can question an organization that it decided to engage in corporate social responsibility. Autonomy in the workplace holds that one is obligated to fulfil his/her perfect duties. It means that one should respect other people’s rights both inside and outside an organization. A Kantian workplace defines and gives much consideration to human dignity and rational autonomy working in that company. When it comes to job security, managers’ treatment of the company’s employees extends to what employees hold to their employment itself. Conventions concerned with the longevity of work by a given employee to an employee varies widely across institutions.

Autonomy is what constitutes a person’s freedom. Kant distinguishes rational morality actions that one does without contradicting with the universalization law. Rational agency predetermines a source of moral value, where all moral action gets its respective moral worthiness. Reasonable actions are subject to making unbiased choices based on wants and inclinations. People act autonomously based on their reason and free will. Alternatively, people may perform morally according to the categorical imperatives due to their willingness to be ruled by another’s law or, instead, a nonrational nature. In other words, not adhering to morality means acting against reason; thus, being unfree, in captive to an individual’s inclinations. The autonomy value often formats the categorical imperative principle called the formula of humanity. The precept demand people to “act in a manner that they treat humanity, whether themselves or that of any other, always at the same time as an end and never as a mere means.”

According to the mere means formulation, it is unacceptable to use other individuals merely as objects for their self-interests. It prompts people to pay ultimate respect to other people as autonomous choosers of their ends. By mere means, Kant does not hold that we cannot use other people to achieve our targets. It would turn to discredit many corporations as corporations require people to accomplish their goals, and so do people require corporations.

Enron company became recognized for corporate accounting fraud. It succumbed to bankruptcy after getting involved in a major scandal in 2001 following investors” realization of its exaggerated financial statements. The company officials were found guilty following the court trials and were charged with security fraudulent. The question still poses if the Enron officials were morally wrong for deception. Malcolm Gladwell particularly holds that Enron company was ethically wrong since they concealed their financial statements to the public in plain sight. Based on his argument, it was nasty reasoning as it involves two probable complications of interest. First, it can always not be the case for all participants to exercise autonomous choices to expose themselves to the probability of being held accountable. Such situations may result from tendency, desperation, and naivety. Secondly, both sides may consent to the likelihood of misleading information. However, the two analogies do not thoroughly embarrass Kant’s categorical imperatives. Based on Kantianism, the principle may accept that bluffing is certain circumstances presented by negotiations where allowance brings about a common ground to the game’s rules. More importantly, all the parties autonomously decided to take part in the game.

Categorical imperatives are commands that people should always follow irrespective of their desires. Enron company decided to manipulate their figures to get a competitive edge, which is morally inappropriate. Even though they later decided to speak the truth, their decision to conceal the truth for long made its shareholders not make their decisions autonomously. In the subprime mortgage issue, lenders actively participated in unethical practices by giving false information to the shareholders concerning mortgage portfolios diversities, not mention the applicants’ ability to service the loans. As time passed, the interest rates skyrocketed, and debts increased significantly. As such, it became impossible for the vast majority of the subprime mortgage holders to service their loans. The lenders also tricked the consumers through what they termed as “teaser rates” and deliberately ignored keeping proper loan applications’ adequate documentation.

It is wrong to induce false beliefs in the minds of the people as well as lying. However, when it comes to advertisement and marketing, companies overplay and rate highly of their products without considering how their customers feel. More often, some company’s advertisement practices bring about contradiction, and categorical imperatives hold that any moral action should not result in a paradox. During advertisements and marketing, companies should always employ categorical imperatives. Two principles that should govern marketers and advertisers are the universalizability principle and formula of humanity. Any business entity aims to make a profit. However, making profits is not all about hypothetical imperatives. In other words, business practices should be more inclined to morality than prudence.

In conclusion, marketing and advertising practices should put much consideration in moral worthiness and obligation. As such, they must satisfy the needs of the customers by offering them quality products. They should not use potential clients and old customers as their mere means to reap huge profits by providing them with some misleading information about their products. By adhering to Kant’s categorical imperative, the customers will autonomously make their decisions on their rational wills.

References

Sandbu, M. E. (2011). Just business: arguments in business ethics. Prentice Hall.