Customer Relationship Management Balance Score Card

Question: Discuss about the Balance score card of crocs and growth ratio of crocs using balance sheet? Answer: Introduction The balanced scorecard is found to be a significant framework for strategic management and planning which is extensively utilized in the industry and business, nonprofit and governmental organizations worldwide so that the business activities can be aligned in accordance with the organizational vision and strategy. This can further facilitate in enhancing external and internal communication emulated by the monitoring of the organizational performance against the strategic goals of an organization. The balanced scorecard has four significant perspectives that are as below: Internal business process Financial/Stewardship Customer/Stakeholder Learning and Growth Perspective The learning and growth perspective incorprates attitudes of the corporate culture and employee training that is further related to the corporate self improvement (Relevant development: Effective leadership training, 2012). In an organization having a technological change, it is quite imperative for the workers to adapt to such change and that can be attained through learning and growth perspective. The financial perspective entails the financial performance of the company where the financial performance can be explored through different key performance indicators like return on equity, net profit margin, assets turnover etc (Jiang and Lee, n.d.). The business process perspective is related to the approach as to how the business keeps on running and that the products and services conform to the requirements of the customer (Unnikrishnan, n.d.). The customer perspective realizes the importance of customer saisfaction and customer focus in a business (DR.K.VANITHA, 2012). Therefore, if the customers are not satisfied then they would look for another brand or service. Balanced Scorecard Crocs Shoewear The balanced Scorecard for Crocs Shoewear will also incorporate the above mentioned perspectives as below: Internal business process: One of the signficant strengths of Crocs is related to the supply chain competitive capabilities. The supply chain of Crocs is considered to be quite flexible that is capable enough for filling the new orders in accordance with the rapid quality manufacturing emulated by the shipping of those newly manufactured products to the retail outlets. It has a fast shipping and manufacturing process emulated by the excess capacity and rapid replenishment framework that has allowed them for meeting an unanticipated increase in the market demand within a short period of time (Relevant development: Effective leadership training, 2012). Crocs has a significantly effective, efficient and a standardized process of production associated with molding and injection and that there is no excess inventory because of an epansion in an on demand production (Zellner, 2011). For the purpose of rapidly meeting an increasing demand during a season within a certain market, the Company Crocs has an ability for moving the equipment to their several operations related to manufacturing, mainly the closest location of the production of that particular market for capturing and meeting the local needs of the customer. Financial Perspective: The financial perspective can be illusrated from numerous key performance indicators like gross profit which indicates the ability of the company to decrease the cost of goods sold and enhance the gross margin to cover up the fixed expenses. In the recent years the gross margin has enhanced significantly in comparison to its starting years. The gross profit in 2013 was $623 millions but in 2014 it was $590 million. Though, there is not so much difference but it can decrease further if the cost of goods sold keeps on increasing or the sales keep on diminishing. Furthermore, the financial strength of the company can be illustrated through three significant factors as below: Debt burden Debt to revenue ratio Altman Z-score The company Crocs has an interest expense of around $-0 million in September 2015. Apart from this, the operating income within the same time period was found to be $-21 million. Whereas, the long term debt was found to be $2 million. This indicates that Crocs did not have that much earnings for covering the interest expense. The debt to revenue ratio was found to be 0.03 which indicates that the lower the debt to revenue ratio, the better is it for the company. The Altman Z-score model is found to be a significant forecaster of the failure up till the two years of prior to distress. The crocs Z-score is calcuated using the following formula: Z = 1.2 x X1 + 1.4 x X2 + 3.3 x X3 + 0.6 x X4 + 1.0 x X5 X1 Working Capital /Total Assets 0.48 X2 Retained Earnings/Total Assets 0.42 X3 EBIT/Total Assets -0.1 X4 Market Value Of Equity/Book Value of Total Liabilities 1.7 X5 Revenue/Total Assets 1.5 After calculating the above Z score, it is found that the Altman Z score is 3.4 which indicates that it is within the safe zone. This also indicates that the company Crocs is not likely to fall into the distressed situations. Customer Perspective: Crocs has two significant types of consumers. This incorporates retail and consumer customers. For consumer customers, it has designed an extensive and broad system of distribution and that the shoes have an availability within an assortment of the retail outlets to departmental stores from the speciality stores and store chains of the large shoes (DR.K.VANITHA, 2012). Moreover, for the retail customers, the company has made this more attractive for the segment by permitting the customers of this segment to make an order of as few as 24 pairs while stocking them in accordance with the matter of weeks and not even months. Learning and Growth Perspective: The organizational structure of Crocs is decentralized. This permits the company for taking an advantage for the labor division and imparted decision making with the members (Unnikrishnan, n.d.). Furthermore, it allows the employees and laborers to enhance their performance by learning in accordance with their weak competency zones. Through this particular learning and growth at Crocs, the business managers can utilize the knowledge, experience and skills of the employees in an effective manner for optimizing the business performance. Growth Ratios The growth ratios for the Crocs Inc are as below: The above ratios explain the the revenues have increased in 2009 and 2010 but then it kept on decreasing considerably. This could be due to the fact that in 2014, the company decided to convert or close approximately 100 retail locations that were company owned around the world. The company also initiated inventory planning, merchanding for the purpose of driving sales growth but the impact of closures was quite significant which resulted in the decline of annual sales. Operating income and net income witnessed significant fluctuations. This is because of the fact that the cost of goods sold have increased along with a sluggish increase in the sales. In the same way, this has impacted the net income as well. References DR.K.VANITHA, D. (2012). Customer Relationship Management on Customer Satisfaction.IJSR, 3(4), pp.1-3. Jiang, X. and Lee, B. (n.d.). Financial Ratios, Expected Returns, and Fundamentals.SSRN Electronic Journal. Relevant development: Effective leadership training. (2012).Development and Learning in Organizations, 26(5), pp.32-36. Unnikrishnan, P. (n.d.). Decision Support, Business Process Improvement and Managing Data.SSRN Electronic Journal. Zellner, G. (2011). A structured evaluation of business process improvement approaches.Business Process Mgmt Journal, 17(2), pp.203-237.

Social Control of Tobacco and Alcohol free essay sample

Tobacco and alcohol Consumption of tobacco and alcohol has long been proven to be harmful to one’s health, however it should be considered one’s liberty to smoke or drink and such acts are not considered â€Å"illegal† under laws. However, many countries have implement social control mechanisms in regulating smoking or drinking behavior, which raises controversy in the sense that smoking and drinking could be seen as â€Å"norms† in social gatherings. This essay is divided into two parts: the first part attempts to justify the need for social control for tobacco and alcohol using various sociological theories and studies; while the second part describes the mechanism of social control on this issue in the context of Hong Kong in detail. Definition of Social Control Before justifying the need of social control for smoking and alcohol consumption, it is necessary to understand the definition of social control. The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology defines social control as social processes that regulate behavior of individuals or groups into conforming to norms and values in society. Edward Ross was known for pioneering the concept of social control, he defines it a purposive ascendency over individual aims and interests through definite and organized means to uphold social interest and function (Ross, 1986). According to Black (1976), social control includes the definition of deviance as well as the responses to deviance; while Cohen (1985) claimed that social control is an organized response towards deviance; while Meier argues that there are three functions of social control: serving as a description of social processes, mechanism to ensure compliance and social stability, as well as a method to study social order (Meier, 1982). Justifying Social Control Hobbes on Social Control In Leviathan (1651) by Thomas Hobbes, he assumes that men are all equal and selfish, and such selfish desires drives men into a state of war – where human beings pursue their own gratifications and interests as they saw fit without considering the rights of others, thus giving rise to conflicts and chaos in the absence of a sovereign power or laws to regulate social order. Hobbes argues that in the state of nature, there is no concept of morality. Thus, under the fear of death, people would be willing to come together and to form a sovereign power, known as Common-wealth, submitting their liberties in exchange for safety and sustainability. Tobacco and Alcohol Applying this theory in the case of tobacco smoking, without social control, people who are free to pursuit satisfaction from smoking as they saw fit, without considering the threats they pose to the physical wellbeing of themselves or others. Conflict between men arises. Under the assumptions that men desire a commodious living and fear death, it calls for social control via common-wealth on the behavior of tobacco smoking or drinking. However, despite the rise of common-wealth, people are still tempted to disobey laws in the absence of a coercive system of punishment. Thus, under Hobbes’ theory, there should be a formal social control mechanism that compels people to conform to norms and rules. John Locke on Social Control In The Second Treatise on Civil Government (1690) by John Locke, he proposes the concept of the State of Nature – a state with full liberty within the laws of nature. Locke assumes that men are reasonable, equal and independent before the law, and no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions. Tobacco Under Locke’s theory, social control on tobacco can be justified in the sense that smoking harms both the smoker as well as people around the smoker via second-hand smoke. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in United States, people who are exposed to secondhand smoke have a 20-30% higher chance of developing lung cancer, and there has been an estimated 3,400 deaths of non-smokers a year by lung cancer in the States that is caused by secondhand smoke. In Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong Cancer Registry under the Hospital Authority, lung cancer has been continuously ranked top of the list as the most common cancer in Hong Kong. This violates the state of nature when the smoker imposes a threat to the health of others. Locke argues that every man should have the right to punish the offender, who declares himself as violating the laws of reason and common equity, and poses danger to the preservation of mankind (Locke, 1960). Thus, in the name of sustaining the lives of men, this calls for the set up of a social contract, in which men comes to a mutual agreement in regulating the â€Å"deviant† act – in this case, tobacco smoking for the sake of common good. Alcohol Alcohol plays an important social and cultural role in society. For example, from the perspective of Chinese medicine, alcohol can be used as traditional health products to cure diseases or sooth pain; or in social gatherings or collective celebrations, consumption of alcohol can lighten up the social atmosphere, making people more relaxed, talkative or sociable. However, controversy arises when alcoholic substances causes harm on one’s physical well being or bring about accidents that harm other’s lives. Under Locke’s theory, every one ought not to harm another’s life, health, liberty or possessions, and everyone has the right to punish transgressors of the law (Locke, 1960). Thus, social control on alcohol can be justified because consumption of alcohol is known to affect one’s judgment, awareness and consciousness and often triggers alcohol-related harms and accidents. According to statistics from the Transport Department, almost 900 vehicle accidents resulting in personal injury were due to alcohol consumption, with 24 fatal cases. From this statistics, it can be concluded that alcohol consumption raises the possibility of traffic incidents, thus endangering the life of other people. Thus, according to Locke’s theory, it is necessary for people to control and regulate alcohol consumption for the preservation of human lives and social safety. Differential Association Theory Apart from Locke’s theory, Edward Sutherland’s differential association theory can also justify the need for regulating deviant behavior. According to Sutherland, deviance is learnt through social interaction with other people, mainly via primary or close social groups (Williams amp; McShane, 1998). Such learning includes criminal patterns and techniques, motives as well as attitudes of criminals (Williams amp; McShane, 1998). In the case of drinking and smoking, people often drink because they hope to socialize and this can be learnt from various social settings. Social control of drinking can be justified in the sense that younger generations are exposed in settings where they can learn or develop such unhealthy habits, for example, hanging out in bars or with street gangs. Thus, it is necessary for some form of social control like minimum age for drinking to prevent teenagers from developing such habits at a young age. According to a population health survey conducted the HKSAR government in 2004, there is a growing trend of underage drinking in younger generations due to peer pressure. Thus, there is a need for social control mechanisms to prevent young teenagers that lack maturity from developing unhealthy habits at a young age, which would increase their risk of addiction as well as raising the risks of potential health hazards resulting from such behavior. Apart from concerns for teenagers’ future, from an economic perspective, there displays a need to regulate smoking and drinking. For example, smoking and drinking often results in cigarette buds and glass bottles disposed on Hong Kong streets, adding to economic burden of Hong Kong government in cleaning Hong Kong’s streets and maintaining the image of Hong Kong. Social Control Mechanisms in Hong Kong A. Formal Social Control Formal social control can be defined as mechanisms implemented by governments to regulate people’s behavior so to ensure conformity to social norms and legislations. Examples of formal social control include government policies, criminal laws and legislations. Measures to control availability Controlling the availability of tobacco and liquor is the key gatekeeping measure to control supply of such products in Hong Kong. In terms of tobacco, under Section 15A of the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance in Hong Kong, it states that selling or giving of any form of tobacco products as means for promotion to anyone under the age of 18 is strictly prohibited, and anyone who is convicted of such an act could be fined up to HKD$25,000. In terms of alcohol, under the Dutiable Commodities (Liquor) Regulations (Cap. 109), a license issued by the government is required for restaurants or clubs to sell any form of liquor at the premises. It is also stated that no licensee is permitted to sell liquor to people under the age of 18. Yet, there is currently no restriction on the sale of alcohol for off-premises purposes. Measures to control marketing Marketing is another factor that directly influences consumer consumption, the government thus makes use of negative marketing strategies for tobacco and alcohol products so to raise the public awareness on negative impacts of smoking and drinking. In terms of tobacco, under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371), it is statutory for all cigarette packs to contain a standardized health warning illustrating the side effects of tar and nicotine, e. g. â€Å"Smoking causes lung cancer†. Also, price markers or price boards of cigarettes in retailers are limited in number and style, as well as are compelled to bear a healthy warning up to the size of one-fifth of the boards. Both acts holds the cigarette producers and shop sellers responsible of ensuring there is a negative effect on marketing of cigarettes, failure to comply to the laws would result in fines up to HKD$50,000. In terms of alcohol, under the Broadcasting Ordinance (Cap. 562) and the Broadcasting Authority Ordinance, (Cap. 391), there are restricted codes of practice of media concerning advertising liquor on air. For example, advertising of alcohol beverages shall be broadcasted to target audience only, and are forbidden during four to eight in the evening to prevent any children under age of 18 to be exposed to such advertising. Also, it is stated under the ordinances that broadcasters shall not attempt to lure young people into picking up the habit of drinking, and shall not portray the act of alcohol consumption as appealing to young age groups. Measures to control pricing Regulating the prices of tobacco and alcohol products is one of the most effective ways to deter consumers with elastic demands from smoking or drinking. According to the World Bank, raising the price of cigarettes are the most effective way in deterring potential smokers from smoking due to their high price responsiveness. It is said that raising the price by 10% would successfully lower tobacco consumption by 8% in low- and middle-income countries. In terms of tobacco, duty is charged to the sellers and incorporated into prices of cigarettes in order to raise the marketing price of tobacco products in the market. According to the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109), tobacco duty is charged as per quantity or weight by the Customs and Excise Department. For example, the duty charged per 1,000 cigarettes is HKD$1,706. Also as a means of preventing imports of cigarettes in Hong Kong, since 1 August 2010, it is prohibited for any residents or visitors of Hong Kong to carry more than 19 cigarettes to Hong Kong. This strict no duty-free cessation restricts the quantity of tobacco products entering Hong Kong. In terms of alcohol, since the year of 2008, duty on beer and wine has been exempted in Hong Kong. However, liquor that has over 30% alcohol strength has to pay 100% duty in proportion to its value. When comparing the pricing measures, tobacco has a stricter pricing strategy in reducing demand relative to alcohol. Measures that regulate behavior Other than measures that affect the supply, marketing and prices of tobacco products and liquor, formal social control mechanisms have also been implement in restricting drinking and smoking, especially in public areas. Under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance, as effective since 2007, smoking is prohibited in all indoor areas including restaurants, indoor workplaces, public indoor areas, public transport facilities and certain public outdoor spaces. In September 2009, the government has further tightened the smoking ban in regulating smoking in Hong Kong – Under the Fixed Penalty (Smoking Offenses) Ordinance (Cap. 600), offenders are subjected to a fine of HKD$1,500 if caught smoking in restricted non-smoking areas, and will be charged extra if fines were not settled within 21 days. In terms of alcohol, unlike the United States, Hong Kong does not restrict the carrying of alcohol products in the streets. However, behavior of drinking is mainly regulated by means to prevent drunk driving. According to the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374), it is illegal for someone to operate a vehicle if the proportion of alcohol in his breath exceeds 22 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath. In face that drunk driving has become a growing trend in Hong Kong, since 2009, the government implemented a random breath testing policy, permitting police officers to stop any vehicle and subject the driver to a breath test without reasonable suspicion. Any offender found drunk driving will be subject to fines up to HKD$25,000 as well as imprisonment up to 3 years. Also, a three-tier system was implement in recording the frequency of offense in drivers, first convictions will be deducted ten driving offense points, banned from operating vehicles for no less than 3 months and are required to attend a compulsory driving improvement course. B. Informal Social Control According to Black (1976), informal social control refers to non-legal means of regulating socially problematic behavior. Common examples include family, friends, religious groups, work colleagues, etc. Family Family serves as the first encounter of learning and development for children. Often, children raised in a stable environment rear well-attached children who are less likely to engage in deviant behavior, as said in social control theories. Parents are responsible for caring for their children, as well as educating them on acceptable social behavior and norms. When preventing their children from smoking or drinking, parents can bring out negative health consequences related to tobacco or alcohol consumptions; as well as serve as role models by refraining from such behavior so that their children would develop healthy living habits. Also, parents can set a curfew for their children to prevent them from hanging out in the streets late at night, which increases their risk of exposure to tobacco and alcohol. Parents can also implement strict budget control so that their children would not afford to buy tobacco or alcohol. Schools Education plays a key role in teaching children the necessary knowledge and skills to take up adult roles in society concerning social relations and identities. Apart from family, school is another institution where children are placed in a system with rules and regulations, as well as authority figures to monitor their conduct. It acts as a secondary agent for socializing children of accepted social norms and values. Schools act as a form of informal social control through various ways. First, in terms of education curriculum, students are taught in biology or general studies the negative impacts of smoking and drinking, thus serves as a channel of information that deters children from taking up smoking or drinking. Second, in terms of institutional means, schools in Hong Kong have an organized system of rules that often include the ban of consumption of tobacco or alcoholic products on school premises. Teachers in school often serve as both authoritative figures and role models for students to learn and develop healthy habits and attitudes in life. Apart from institutionalized means, schools also co-operate with the government in organizing events in promoting anti-smoking or anti-drinking messages in the student body. For example, the Health Care and Promotion Fund organizes an inter-school anti-smoking campaign annually to enhance the knowledge of primary and secondary students on the harms of smoking, as well as prevent students from smoking (Health Care and Promotion Fund, 2007). It is a joint effort between the government, schools and non-governmental bodies to raise both awareness and knowledge of students on the issue through tobacco control slogan competitions, drama competitions, quizzes as well as movie competitions (Health Care and Promotion Fund, 2007). Mass Media According Demers (1999), mass media serves as both agents of social change and social control through controlling the dissemination of information that reinforces dominant social norms and values. However, due to the publicity and reach of mass media, mass media can be powerful in aiding the government in disseminating public information concerning health issues and concerns, thus raising public awareness on the issue of tobacco and alcohol. Conclusion To conclude, social control of tobacco and alcohol is necessary because consumption of both products leads to threats against other people’s health and lives. In order to preserve social order and preserve mankind, it is necessary to implement social control of tobacco and alcohol through formal and informal means. In Hong Kong, there is an organized legislature in tackling the availability, marketing, pricing as well as consumption behavior of tobacco and alcohol. While in terms of informal social control, families, schools, workplace, churches or non-governmental bodies, as well as the mass media go hand in hand in playing a key role in regulating smoking or drinking behavior. To conclude, it is essential to acknowledge the importance of collaboration of various parties to demonstrate the most effective way of social control. Bibliography Black, D. (1976). The Behavior of Law.

What Do Most People Think Of When They Hear The Words Punk Rock Some

What do most people think of when they hear the words Punk Rock? Some people may think of delinquents sporting dyed hair, leather jackets, and chains. Although this may be true among some punk rock enthusiasts, there is much more to punk music and culture. Punk rock is believed to have originated in Great Britain and other parts of Europe. Although there are no exact dates on punk's creation, it is believed to have started in the late 60's or early 70's. Punk rock is a relatively new music trend but it has already created some well-known bands such as "The Sex Pistols", "NoFx", and "Green Day". Punk music was originally created by bands to help them express their feelings about the corrupted governments and other social problems in Europe. This music is characterized by it's high paced beat and sometimes offensive lyrics. To be punk rock it has to be adrenaline packed and in your face. The music used is usually very simple with extremely fast drumbeats and five chord guitar rifts. Of course there are many talented artists that have contributed more elaborate tunes, but for the most part they are kept simple. Many people associate this type of music with anarchists and trouble makers because of it's underground nature, but it does have an appeal among normal young adults. Punk has gone from it's primitive days of protesting the government to more excepted topics such as relationships and everyday events. The music is still sometimes rebellious, but it is always fun. Many bands have turned to humor for inspiration for their songs, which has created many bands that are very comical. Classical and Country music fans may never accept Punk Rock as real music because of it's high speed and seemingly immature lyrics, but Punk will always have it's faithful audience. Punk Rock attracts many unique individuals and has become an anthem for unaccepted groups such as skateboarders. Skateboarding and Punk Rock have been unaccepted by society for many years, but are starting to become more accepted thanks to movies and television. Many punk bands have become so popular that they have appeared on movies and TV. One such band is The Ramones. The Ramones are an older band that has made appearances on many movies and radio shows. Even with society starting to accept punk rock more, many punk enthusiasts believe that punk music is only punk when it is played to a bunch of local kids in a run down dance hall.

Examples of Bad Engineering in From the Earth to the Moon R.U.R. Metropolis & Transatlantic Tunnel essays

Examples of Bad Engineering in From the Earth to the Moon R.U.R. Metropolis & Transatlantic Tunnel essays OUTLINE According to H. Bruce Franklin, science fiction is "the only literature capable of exploring the macro-history of our species. . . in a cosmic context" (Science Fiction: The Early History, Internet) which suggests that man's place in the universe is dependent upon rock-solid scientific investigation and exploration. But as a literary/cinematic genre, science fiction can and often does contain inventions, ideas and theories based on pure speculation and pseudo-science. Some of the devices and instruments featured in many popular science fiction novels and films are in essence conceived through bad engineering, meaning that these devices and instruments are not practical nor possible according to present scientific knowledge. Out of all the novels and films written and produced within the last one hundred and fifty years, four stand out for their use of bad engineeringJules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon (1865), R.U.R. by Karel Capek (1921), Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1926) and Maurice Elvey's In the 1865 science fiction "classic" From the Earth to the Moon, Jules Verne, the author of other sci-fi novels such as Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, expresses his admiration for all things American, especially their ingenuity and desire for exploration. In this novel, the so-called "daredevil" Michel Ardan comes up with the fabulous idea of sending a man to the moon via a spaceship that is to be "launched" from the barrel of a huge gun. This spaceship is to be made of aluminum, and to launch their "shot" at the proper angle, the men involved in this scheme choose a site in Florida near the present-day Cape Canaveral. As a preparatory experiment, Verne's "astronauts" send a cat and a squirrel into space first and then plan to ...

Professional Development Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Professional Development Analysis - Assignment Example The researcher states that a professionally qualified engineer must possess all the necessary qualifications and the relevant experience in order to become a successful engineer. To assist in this, the government of U.K has allotted a separate body that deals with professional engineers. The levels of professional qualification differ from one university to another. The major reason for such changes is the current requirement of the industries and the changing trend in the field of engineering. All these factors contribute to the decrease in the number of students who opt for technical courses and courses related to science. Though the numbers of engineering courses are increasing, courses like mechanical and manufacturing engineering continue to draw a reasonable number of people. Since the level of qualification differs based on the field of engineering, the requirements also differ. The level of professional qualification certainly depend on the field of engineering and hence the students must make up their mind according to the current needs and make sure they select a field in which they can obtain the required level of qualification. The various levels of diploma, Pre University, vocational courses, graduate, and postgraduate courses help the students to obtain the highest level of qualification, so as to prepare themselves for a challenging career. Though the branches of engineering are similar to some extent, mechanical and manufacturing engineering are different in their technical aspects. Due to this reason, the students who prefer these streams must ensure that they get qualified and equally experienced to evolve into a professionally qualified engineer. Apart from these factors, the selection of courses depends on the university in which the student studies. As the numbers of colleges in the UK are increasing considerably, it is the responsibility of the students to select a university which best suits their needs. The field of mechanical and manufa cturing engineering offers a wide variety of choice to the students from which they can take up a course that specializes in this field. The levels of professional qualification include a diploma, a bachelor degree, and a post-graduate degree.

Direct-to-Customer Drug Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Direct-to-Customer Drug Advertising - Essay Example But United States of America allows direct-to-customer drug advertisement and some people appreciate this policy. In this paper categorical imperative will be used to solve this dilemma of drug advertisement. We will argue through Kant’s deontological approach that drug advertisement directed to the end users is not ethical. Why Direct-to-Customer Drug Advertising is unethical? Deontological ethics emphasize on the moral duties of a person irrespective of the consequences of an action (Stanford Encyclopedia, 1). An act, therefore, is ethical or good only if it is morally right. An act cannot be ethically justified only by the consequences it follows because wrong actions (like lying) can sometimes lead to good consequences. Therefore deontologists argue that rules or duties make an action ethical, and not the consequences of those actions. Drug advertisement is not morally right because it violates the moral rule that one should act in a way in which one wants to be treated. D rug advertisement is not something desirable for a person who has limited knowledge of medical sciences. I am simply arguing against customer directed drug advertisement because I would not want to expose myself to such advertisement that can harm my health. Drug advertisement will only have limited information and they will entice a person to take self medication. The moral principle that should guide our behavior tells us that drug advertisement should be banned irrespective of the good and bad consequences it has to offer. Categorical imperative is a moral philosophy given by Immanuel Kant. Categorical imperative calls for behaving in a manner that would one be willing to make a general universal principle (Kant, 30). A person, according to Kant, should act according to his or her moral duties and should not take into account the possible consequences of an action. Ethical actions should be based on moral principles rather than ‘good’ consequences. Direct-to-customer drug advertisement is similar to lying in many ways. No one would like to be on the receiving end of lying therefore it can be termed as an unethical behavior. In advertisement no company can tell everything about a drug therefore there will be chances of misunderstanding. Most of the people are not familiar with the medical terms therefore they may perceive it differently. It will be similar to concealing and therefore cannot be termed as an ethical behavior. No matter what are the consequences of drug advertisement to consum ers, the act itself is not moral therefore it cannot be allowed. It is also important to understand that drug marketing can hurt children considerably. The main principle of categorical imperative calls for acting in a way so as you, by will, allow that act to become universally applicable. No one would like their children to see drug advertisements at homes therefore it is not justified morally to legalize customer directed drug marketing. There are also people who argue that it is in the best interest of the society that customer directed drug advertisements should be allowed all over the world. Their arguments stem from the sheer need of the ordinary people who are not able to go to doctors. It will allow them to treat themselves in a better way and avoid high costs of doctors. The argument is of utilitarianist nature that argues maximum good for the majority of population (Bentham, Chapter 1). This argument does not strengthen the case of customer directed

Social Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Psychology - Essay Example This paper focuses on social psychology as a branch of psychology. As a branch of psychology, social psychology concerns itself with the understanding of individual’s mental behaviors, functions and processes within a social context (Vala and Costa-Lopes, 2012). Myers and his co-authors (2010) also define social psychology as the scientific field that aims at understanding the causes and nature of the behavior of an individual in social situations or contexts. Therefore, it looks at the behavior of an individual as influenced by the social context and other people around where this takes place. In other words, social psychology can be described as a discipline that employs scientific methods in understanding and explaining how the feeling, behavior, and thought of an individual are influenced by the implied, imagined, or actual presence of other people in a particular context, or different situations (Letitia, et al., 2005). While the discipline also relates with sociology by looking on group factors such as socio-economic class and race, it relates to psychology in the sense that it looks at these factors by focusing on an individual. The discipline focuses on a broad range of social topics such as social perception, non-verbal behavior, prejudice, conformity, leadership, aggression, and group behavior, among others (Funder and Krueger, 2004). Apart from looking at the social influences, this discipline also looks at the issues to do with social interaction and social perception, all of which are essential in understanding an individual’s behavior within a social context (Rogers, 2011). Like other disciplines, social psychology has developed over years to become an acceptable and scientific field of study and practice around the world. While the influences of social psychology can be traced to early centuries, it started to develop as a discipline in the wake of the twentieth century (Vala and Costa-Lopes, 2012). The earliest influences of this d iscipline came from such philosophers as Aristotle and Plato. Aristotle held the belief that human beings are naturally sociable creatures, a feature that allows them to live together. His view was considered as an individual-centered approach because it considers an individual essential in a social context. On his part, Plato believed that the state was critical in controlling individuals and encouraging social responsibility through social situations and contexts. Plato’s view came to be known as the socio-centered approach (Letitia et al, 2005). In the 1800s, there was the introduction of social psychology concepts such as social facilitation and social loafing. This discipline developed further at the dawn of the twentieth century when texts in the field started to emerge, the most notable text being â€Å"An Introduction to Social Psychology,† which McDougall wrote in 1908. The writing of texts in the field in subsequent years greatly contributed to the developmen t of this discipline (Myers, et al., 2010). The period after the Second World War is credited for the substantial development of social psychology and research in social psychology. The horrors of the war led several researchers to develop interest in researching various social psychology topics such as conformity and social influence (Vala and Costa-Lopes, 2012). Some of the research focused on how individual behaviors and attitudes are shaped by social context, how they are formed, and how they can be measured in order to ascertain if change