Sunday, December 22, 2019

International Business The Importance of Ethics in...

International Business The business world has always relied heavily on contractual agreements while conducting business. These contracts while written in ink, are set in stone. Once your business partner signs his/her name on the dotted line the pact has been sealed and nothing else needs to be said. But what happens when you take away the physical contractual element and everything is agreed upon through ones word? The world of business ethics is an old discipline in most parts of the world, and in most cases, is applied to the everyday business world. But in the case of China, the country of exaggerated numbers and inflated profit margins, business ethics has yet to be fully assimilated into the Chinese business culture.†¦show more content†¦A case study here in China shows us the importance of rule 14. During the summer of 1998, terrible rainstorms hit the Yangtze river causing it to flood much of the surrounding area. This flooding caused an estimated blablabla in damage and drove hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. In order to help the people who were affected by the flood, CCTV organized a charity drive in which people could pledge money devoted to aiding all those affected. During the broadcast, many companies and corporations pledged RMB to the unfortunate families. The Red Cross asked that everyone who promised to donate money deliver it within a year. Then when a year was up, a huge portion of the promised money was left undelivered. One day, the Greeson Medicine Corporation, and American based company, received news that three of its Chinese business partners were guilty of not delivering on their promise of pledging the money to the flood victims. The intelligence institute which informed them of this recommended that GMC cut all business ties with the three companies. This put GMC in a tough spot. They had two options. One was to ignore that the three companies had done anything wrong and continue to do business with them and share in their profits. However, if it were brought to the publics attention that GMC knew of this dishonest behavior and looked past it with hollow eyes, the public would have a negative image of GMC. The other option was toShow MoreRelatedImportance of Ethics in International Business1541 Words   |  7 PagesImportance of Ethics in International Business Executive Summary Ethics in the business world is important and global. Ethics  indicate what is right and what is wrong in  business branches and also lead employees and stakeholders with moral values. Due to the globalization of markets and production processes, business people have to deal with ethical issues in cross-cultural settings at an increasing number. The purpose of this paper is to explain the importance of international business, emphasiseRead MoreEthics As A Key Term Essay939 Words   |  4 PagesKEY TERM and WHY YOU ARE INTERESTED IN IT This paper will discuss ethics as a key term in cross boarder business. This topic is of interest because ethics are present in every day’s activities. For Christians, ethics is an important concept because it represents the image of the creator, God. As ambassadors of His world, Christians have the responsibility to edify others by living a moral and ethical life style. In the business field, the values and moral principles of individuals differ dependingRead MoreThe State of Ethics and Professionalism in the Field of Entrepreneurship674 Words   |  3 Pages Ethics and professionalism are important aspects in any career field. As a business person, it is easy for the author to consider ethics and professionalism being forefront issues in creating a lasting business anywhere in the world. 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Though the profit motive of business is understood and accepted, people do not accept it as an excuse for ignoring the basic norms, values, and standards of being a good citizen. Modern businesses are expected to be responsible towards the community resources working toward the growth and success of both their companies and theirRead MoreThe Kantian And Utilitarianism Approach914 Words   |  4 Pages8. The purpose of focusing on the Aristotelean approach is to delve into business ethics surrounding an individual within their corporation, instead of the focus that centers on groups of people within a corporation. One presupposition regarding Aristotelean prejudices is noted between Pyrrhonian arguments, which state business is set apart from everyday life and increasing profits is the only social responsibility. In that, the writer goes on to contras t the Aristotelean approach between the KantianRead MoreGood Leadership: A Comparison of Two Articles670 Words   |  3 Pagesleader, and only receives mixed answers. But a good leader is someone who can implement a variety of policies while remaining true to the customer, or the citizen, and make profit for the business, or simply sound policies for a nation. The two articles summarized below discuss good leadership with regards to ethics, another very important component in todays society. These articles will be summarized individually, then compared, after which some conclusions will be drawn. The first article to be

Saturday, December 14, 2019

The World from Brown’s Lounge Free Essays

With The World from Brown’s Lounge: An Ethnography of Black Middle-Class Play Michael J. Bell provides a narrative and interpretation of the play behavior of middle class blacks within the context of Brown’s Lounge, a neighborhood bar in West Philadelphia. At the time he did his field research at Brown’s, Bell was a white, male, doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. We will write a custom essay sample on The World from Brown’s Lounge or any similar topic only for you Order Now The book appears to be either his original dissertation or a somewhat edited dissertation. The prose is accessible and not marked by the frequent subordinate clauses and qualification of statements that mars a good deal of academic writing (Bell xi, 1-7). According to Bell The World from Brown’s Lounge is a â€Å"study in black American folklore† (Bell ix). However he does not use the word folklore in the traditional sense of myths, tales, and traditions usually passed on orally or through folk art, but rather as the â€Å"artistic communication . . . used by ordinary people . . . [that] links us together in our day-to-day interactions† (Bell ix). This folklore is studied in context, not merely as an academic exercise that might be done by reading a textbook about the folk beliefs of a people without regard to their lives. Bell describes what he saw in Brown’s and claims that it is folklore but pointedly refuses engage in an argument as to whether or not the material in the book is in fact folklore. For the purposes of The World from Brown’s Lounge the reader must assume that the book is folklore. Frankly, this distinction seems artificial; the text can and should be judged on its methodology and analysis and not on attempts to fit the book to a particular niche genre. Bell claims that the black middle class is (or at least was at the time the book was written) largely ignored in research with the focus being on the behavior and lifestyle of the poorer class. Even when the middle class has been addressed it has tended to interview individuals who â€Å"exemplified† their race and not observe members of the black middle class acting with each other. In essence Bell contends that at that time the research was done, the literature failed to recognize that the black middle class existed at all (Bell 1-5). The methodology Bell used was to sit in Brown’s Bar at various times throughout the day, observing the patrons and participating in their interactions for a period of about eighteen months beginning in 1972. The observation periods were typically three hours each. Bell describes himself as an active participant as he engaged in the discussions that occurred at Brown’s as well as participating in the consumption of alcohol. The regular patrons were aware of what he was doing and that descriptions of their activities might appear in his doctoral dissertation and possible a subsequent book. Bell recorded the conversations that occurred so that he might study them later. In addition any individual who wished to could listen to any tapes, but no one chose to do so. Although Bell was aware that his presence in the â€Å"black† bar would affect the patrons, by being up front with them he hoped to minimize his affects on the patrons. In the process Bell did extended interviews with some of the key patrons (Bell 1-5). Interestingly he received a grant to engage in this research, which is good work if you can get it. Bell intended that his work describe how the day-to-day activities in a neighborhood bar reflect the values of the members of the neighborhood. He claims the study describes how the activities at Brown’s allow the patrons to conform to â€Å"their desire to create and live within a world that allows them to be both black and middle class† (Bell 5). To do this he describes interactions between the patrons, at times actually quoting entire conversations and then attempts to classify and analyze them. These conversations are, at times, interesting, but are common to many social situations and not indications of middle class black behavior in the 1970s. Bell tries to make them so however. He claims that this behavior is an example of middle class blacks playing with each other verbally and non-verbally by â€Å"talking shit,† â€Å"styling,† and â€Å"profiling† (Bell). Bell writes that these conversations are improvisations with deep, sophisticated meaning for middle class blacks. For example in a discussion on page 110 and analyzed on page 111 Bell offers the following. The bartender Harriet asks the customers generally, â€Å"was a . . . was a . . . (four-second silence) Jimmy Sailor in here yesterday? † One of the patrons, Gill replies, â€Å"I didn’t see him. † From these two sentences Bell draws the following analysis. Harriet was seeking direct information. Gill responded in the same fashion as â€Å"if it were a request for information and nothing else. † This is straightforward enough and patently obvious. However Bell is not satisfied with this explanation and seeks a deeper meaning, â€Å"[i]n asking after Jimmy, Harriet made it clear that she believed that it was appropriate for her to know his whereabouts. † One feels the need to ask why Bell decide would emphasize such a point. Fundamentally he may be correct, but a simpler, more straightforward conclusion seems to be preferable; Harriet was curious about Jimmy. It is difficult to believe that at anytime during this process that Harriet consciously assumed it was proper for her to know where Jimmy was the day before. Similarly, Bell analyzes other conversations throughout the book. Instead of taking the discussions at face value Bell appears to believe each â€Å"interaction is a continuous exchange of images of self—of who and what one is—in order to convince the others present that all present are capable of acting coherently and correctly† (Bell 8). This belief implies that each person at Brown’s is taking part in an improvisation performance determined to establish himself as an individual person and as a member of the group. In reality, it is far more likely that such conversations at Brown’s and similar ones at other bars and coffee shops are just that, conversations between people trying to relax and have a good time. The book suffers from a variety of problems besides the over analysis mentioned above. While reading the book one feels that Bell was describing a species that he is completely unrelated to in the same way that a zoologist might describe the behavior of a species of bird or mammal. Although the motivation for this distance appears to be an attempt to be as neutral as possible, certainly a laudable goal, when Bell describes or analyzes the activities in Brown’s and fails to place them within the contact of being middle class, black, or even human the book suffers. In fact, Bell states this is what he is doing in the preface, instead of limiting his study to a particular ethnic group, age group, or occupation Bell defines his study to a particular place, Brown’s (Bell x). This tightly focused limitation seems to greatly restrict the relevance of Bell’s work to other situations or people. Despite this self-imposed limitation, Bell makes frequent references to the behavior the middle class, though in Brown’s it is not the middle class, it is the only class. Bell’s research lacks a clearly defined identity. Although Bell purports to be providing a description of description of the black middle class at play, he provides no insight as to how the behavior of the middle class patrons differs from or is similar to the behavior of lower or upper class blacks as well as the behavior of classes of other races in their own neighborhood bar. Much of the behavior Bell describes seems to be no different than one might see in any local bar or coffee shop for even by watching a rerun of the television comedy Cheers. As pointed out in â€Å"A Note on the Author† in the last page of the book, Bell received his PhD and at the time of publication was an associate professor of English and folklore at Wayne State University. In addition he has published a variety of articles on urban folklore in a number of scholarly journals. A quick search of the databases at Questia reveal a number of books that referred to The World from Brown’s Lounge, but for the most parts these were merely listings in the bibliographies at the back of these books, although Loic Wacquant refers to it in 2004 as a â€Å"fine book† in Body Soul: Notebooks of an Apprentice Boxer (181). All in all, Bell has adequate, if not impressive academic credentials in this area. The book could do with more careful editing. Although naturally the conversation among the patrons should not be edited, when Bell is providing narrative he should maintain consistent, grammatically correct standards. An example of a failure to do so is his inconsistent of his treatment of some words. For example, the term â€Å"middle-class† appears in the book’s title and on page 1 and â€Å"middle class† on page 5 even though both are used to describe the same thing. Occasionally Bell uses questionable grammatical constructions that should be corrected as well. To his credit, Bell uses occasional inline citations and provides an extensive bibliography that is useful. The World from Brown’s Lounge has no index, a feature that would prove useful to students and scholars using the text for literary searches. Due to the unusual meanings of many of the words used in the context of Brown’s a glossary would be helpful as well. Ultimately the book is not particularly satisfying. Perhaps in 1972 when the research was done or in 1983 when the book was published the book had more impact, but in today’s world The World from Brown’s Lounge seems remarkably flat and uninteresting. One questions just what if anything Bell contributed to anthropological academic knowledge that justified his receiving a PhD with this dissertation supporting his candidacy, much less what justified its subsequent publication as a book. Although some of the play was interesting to read, Bell’s over analysis reduced it the trivial. Bell’s attempts to provide significance to ordinary conversations in a bar read more like long academic stretches in hopes of securing a doctorate than to do meaningful work. Works Cited Bell, Michael J. The World from Brown’s Lounge: An Ethnography of Black Middle-Class Play. Urbana, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1983 Wacquant, Loic. Body Soul: Notebooks of an Apprentice Boxer. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. How to cite The World from Brown’s Lounge, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Implementation of E-procurement software system for Museums

Question: Discuss about the Implementation of E-procurement software system for Museums Victoria. Answer: Introduction The paper reflects on the organization Victoria Museum which is one of the renowned museums in Australia. The museum is very much responsible in providing both multi venue cultural as well as educational institution and programs for both the visitors as well as for the residents of Victoria. The organization operates by manual paper based system for procurement of various goods as well as services. It is analyzed that the organization faces number of challenges due to the paper based manual systems and the problems include inefficient tracking of commitments, delay in approval of the procurement services, delay in getting signature as well as particular venues, duplication of data and inappropriate tracking system. In order to resolve the problems that generally arises due to the paper-based manual system, the organization wants to implement E-procurement software system for managing various goods as well as services. It is identified that the methodology that is utilized for making the system is PRINCE2 methodology (Gonzalez et al. 2016).It is analyzed that this methodology assists in offering easy as well as effective methods that helps in managing the work of the project appropriately. Each of the processes is illustrated with proper input as well as output in order to achieve appropriate amount of success within the organization. The paper mainly illustrates the methodology that is utilized in order to elaborate the entire project plan for implementing E-procurement system within Victoria museum. The project manager is responsible to illustrate each of the processes properly as well as effectively so that the system is developed appropriately. Selected project methodology for Victoria Museum The project implementation of e-procurement software system utilizes PRINCE2 methodology for its implementation as well as development. It helps in breaking the methodology into seven processes, which include start up phase, initiation phase, directing phase, controlling phase, managing phase, implementation phase as well as closure phase. In the start up phase, various types of details such as strategies of the company, availability of various resources, use of system as well as details about budget as well as project timelines (Karaman and Kurt 2015). Therefore, after receiving the tender, the project manager makes appropriate decisions on the development of the project that is very much dependent on the project methodology such as PRINCE2. The initiation phase helps in elaborating the project background. It is analyzed that the strategic directions that the organization undertakes include appropriate investment in various expertise, knowledge as well as collection. The Victoria mu seum also assists in directing their overall business towards digital transformation, construction of cultural capital as well as towards organizational resilience (Kerzner 2013). The project manager identifies various issues that is occurring within the museum and as a result the museum wants to implement e-procurement software system. Earlier the organization utilizes paper based manual system for procuring various types of goods as well as services and as a result faces number of issues that include inefficient tracking of commitments, delay in approval of the procurement services, delay in getting signature as well as particular venues, duplication of data and inappropriate tracking system (Krysinski and Miller 2016). In order to resolve these issues, the museum wants to implement e-procurement software system. In the initiation phase of the project, proper initiation document is created that may be utilized for generating appropriate boundaries of the project. It mainly comprises of various details that include project scope, aims, objectives, constraints, assumptions as well as dependencies. The document of the project also helps in providing detailed information about project planning, risk assessment, stakeholders analysis as well as project governance. The final part of this phase is to get proper approval in order to implement as well as develop the e-procurement software system (Marcelino et al. 2014). The proposal of the plan is achieved from the document Request to tender. It is analyzed that the RFT helps in mentioning both closing time as well as lodgement of tenders. The criterion for evaluation is mainly mentioned so that the system can easily meet various types of detailed specification as well as technologies that generally fit into the environment of museum. It is analyzed t hat all the information as well as data are kept with proper security as well as privacy in context to commercial-in-confidence. The various tenders are generally prompted but the museum is liable of the freedom of information Act 1982 and thus it is not ready to offer proper affirmation and as a result, the tender is generally kept under proper classified conditions (Martinelli and Milosevic 2016). Therefore, after the project is approved, the project manager starts their work on the project. After the completion of the project initiation phase, there is a need to direct the project. It generally grows near the purchasing strategy. Firstly, the project manager examines the needs as well as requirements of the museum. It is analyzed that before implementing the e-procurement software system it is very much important to get appropriate information about project budget, size of transactions and its type (Mir and Pinnington 2014). This project generally works on various specifications that include problem, goals as well as setting of proper project boundaries. These types of specifications are very much important as well as useful for guiding the implemented e-procurement software system. With the utilization of proper IT value sourcing framework, the various functions of the system are not specified theoretically but is mainly prcised as per the goals of the project (Saad et al. 2013). All the important details as well as specifications are illustrated into the document of t ender which is supplied to the various suppliers of e-procurement. The entire work of the project is generally controlled by organizing appropriate session for the suppliers in order to illustrate various procurement processes as well as its requirements within the museum. It is analyzed that suppliers can ask any question during the session and after then the suppliers of the project are asked to provide their project plan that is dependent on the document of tender for developing the e-procurement tool appropriately (Sanjuan and Froese 2015). Proper as well as detailed information about the e-procurement software system is generally supplied for meeting various requirements appropriately. The manager of the project is responsible of illustrating both the system architecture as well as utilization of technology. After then the technologies as well as system architectures are compared with proper virtualization of technology (Kerzner 2013). The system generally runs on latest version of the software in order to support the system appropriately. It i s analyzed that various functional requirements of the system are illustrated appropriately. A contract signed for supplying the needs of the project with the suppliers, after the project team members are found to be satisfied with the project plan. Service level agreement is needed in order to proceed with the next phase of the project. E-procurement software is provided in the product delivery stage to the e-procurement system. The suppliers mainly help in managing the products in three phases. In the initial step, a detailed as well as effective design of the system is created with the help of the e-procurement suppliers (Schwalbe 2015). The detailed design must illustrate appropriate design of the museum. The steps are also illustrated within the network of each IT system. The system helps in providing appropriate as well as detailed information including financial information for having proper integration. Proper as well as appropriate security measures must be taken for securing the application of the system properly. In the next step, various types of e-procurement tools are configured which are generally set as per the parameters of the system. After then the project suppliers helps in providing both system as well as interfaces with other systems such as financial system in context with various IT department s (Boud, Cohen and Sampson 2014). In the last phase the various tools of e-procurement are tested in order to determine that they are working properly or not. If the system is found to be appropriate enough in order to meet both the business as well as clients need then it is considered for utilization. There is unit testing which is generally used for checking various types of errors within the system. It is analyzed that system integration testing occurs generally in order to determine if the system is working properly or not (Heagney 2016). It is identified that acceptance testing generally occurs when any of the errors occurs within the system. In the implementation phase, the proposed e-procurement software system is developed as well as implemented within the victoria museum. In this procedure, all the managers, workers as well as other workers are informed about the benefits of the system (Shields and Rangarajan 2013). It is analyzed that is also important to provide information about system implementation to both the suppliers as well as to the business partners with the help of a document which assists in illustrating information about configuration as well as about installation of e-procurement system (Olson 2014). There are generally 184 workflows that are mainly needed in order to implement the e-procurement system by offering effective as well as proper cist in order to generate the individual workflows. It is very much important to train the users of the system so that they can manage the system properly without facing any problem. In addition to this, support document must also be provided so that the organizatio n can easily handle the system. The support documents mainly comprises of Australia based help desk, telephone support as well as email support.it is analyzed that a system administrator is needed in order to manage the calls properly for supporting various requests (Mir and Pinnington 2014) It is very much helpful and it mainly needed for the organization that requires various rules as well as regulation for implementing the system appropriately. The e-procurement system is evaluated effectively to the various users in the close up phase of the project. In this phase, it is very much necessary to illustrate the system that is implemented and the lessons that the project managers have learned during the entire course of the project (Schwalbe 2015). For appropriate use of the system on site training is offered to the various users of the system. After proper evaluation it is very much important to complete the entire work of the project. After analyzing the PRINCE2 methodology properly, various other requirements for the system s analyzed. It is analyzed that the museum may include either remote or cloud options for proper operation of the system. As the system can faces number of security issues it is quite important to resolve them and therefore active Directory federated services are generally integrated for keeping both data as well as information secure (Martinelli and Milosevic 2016). It is analyzed that the entire budget of the project must not exceed $150,000 and the project must be completed within the estimated time. It is analyzed that proper method of communication is used in order to resolve the problems that occurs among the stakeholders. The particular project is implemented in order to receive support from various management teams so the procedure of implementation becomes easier. Conclusion It can be concluded from the entire assignment that the implementation of e-procurement software system within the victoria museum helps in resolving the challenges that generally occur due to the paper based manual system. The implementation of e-procurement system is mainly completed with the help of PRINCE2 methodology which helps in breaking the methodology into seven processes, which include start-up phase, initiation phase, directing phase, controlling phase, managing phase, implementation phase as well as closure phase. It is analyzed that this methodology assists in offering easy as well as effective methods that helps in managing the work of the project appropriately. Each of the processes is illustrated with proper input as well as output in order to achieve appropriate amount of success within the organization. References Boud, D., Cohen, R. and Sampson, J. eds., 2014.Peer learning in higher education: Learning from and with each other. Routledge. Gonzlez-Marcos, A., Alba-Elas, F., Navaridas-Nalda, F. and Ordieres-Mer, J., 2016. Student evaluation of a virtual experience forproject management learning: An empirical study for learning improvement.Computers Education,102, pp.172-187. Heagney, J., 2016.Fundamentals of project management. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Karaman, E. and Kurt, M., 2015. Comparison ofproject management methodologies: prince 2 versus PMBOK for it projects.International Journal of Applied Science and Engineering Research,4(4), pp.572-579. Kerzner, H., 2013. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Kerzner, H., 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Krysi?ski, M. and Miller, P., 2016. The Role of Conflict in Project Management in the PRINCE2 Methodology.Ekonomika i Organizacja Przedsi?biorstwa, (6), pp.3-12. Marcelino-Sdaba, S., Prez-Ezcurdia, A., Lazcano, A.M.E. and Villanueva, P., 2014. Project risk management methodology for small firms.International Journal of Project Management,32(2), pp.327-340. Martinelli, R.J. and Milosevic, D.Z., 2016.Project management toolbox: tools and techniques for the practicing project manager. John Wiley Sons. Mir, F.A. and Pinnington, A.H., 2014. Exploring the value of project management: linking project management performance and project success.International Journal of Project Management,32(2), pp.202-217. Mir, F.A. and Pinnington, A.H., 2014. Exploring the value of project management: linking project management performance and project success.International Journal of Project Management,32(2), pp.202-217. Olson, D., 2014.Information systems project management. Business Expert Press. Saad, S., Abdullah, I., Asma, O., Muhammad Saad, K. and Abdul Qadir, A., 2013. PRINCE2 Methodology: An Innovative Way of Project Management. Sanjuan, A.G. and Froese, T., 2015. Principles, characteristics, and methodology to develop a project management assessment tool at the construction project level. Schwalbe, K., 2015.Information technology project management. Cengage Learning. Shields, P.M. and Rangarajan, N., 2013.A playbook for research methods: Integrating conceptual frameworks and project management. New Forums Press.