Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Essay about Analysis of Max Webers Theory of Capitalism
Analysis of Max Webers Theory of Capitalism Max Weberââ¬â¢s original theory on the rise of Capitalism in Western Europe has been an often studied theory. In its relationship to Protestantism, specifically Calvinism, Weberââ¬â¢s theory has been in scholarly debate since itââ¬â¢s release in 1904. ââ¬Å"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalismâ⬠puts forth not capitalism as an institute, but as the precursor to the historical origins of capitalism. Weberââ¬â¢s attempts to use statistical data, as well as church doctrine to prove his theory, has been the foundation for the main arena of debate amongst his peers. Weber, although touching on other religions and countries, specifically focuses on the Reformation and its correlation to the dominanceâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Fanfani believes this discredits the influential aspects of religion on capitalism, and instead credits ââ¬Å"that general revolution of thought that characterizes the period of the Renaissance and the Reformation, by which in art, philosophy, morals, and economy, the individual emancipatesâ⬠¦himself from the bonds imposed on him during the Middle Ages(2).â⬠Arguments could be made on Weberââ¬â¢s behalf that it was the Reformation that ââ¬Ëemancipatedââ¬â¢ Protestants from the bonds of Catholic ritual. The removal of the Catholic priest necessitated Protestants to acquire a higher degree of learning for their own salvation. An education combined with divine sanction towards profit and a sinful attitude towards idleness would only lead towards a diligent work ethic. It can be inferred, in this rebutt al, that the Reformation may have been a guiding factor in the Renaissance and therefore Fanfaniââ¬â¢s argument would be inclusive of Weberââ¬â¢s theory. The argument that capitalism existed before the Reformation is valid, but Fanfani is discussing it as a definition where as Weber discusses it as driving force. Weberââ¬â¢s thoughts, that rationality being a basis for capitalism, inspired him to use several quotes from Ben Franklin early in his work. In where, even before there was a strong capitalistic foundation formed in the colonies, Weber foundShow MoreRelatedMarx s Theory Of Historical Materialism1495 Words à |à 6 PagesCapitalism is an economic system in a society in which private owners control industry and trade within a country, rather than the state. Both Karl Marx and Max Weber, have written theories on how this system develops in countries and creates a nation state that is characterised by production and wealth. Marxââ¬â¢s theory takes more of a top-down approach, suggesting that people have little power in how their society is run. On the other hand, Weberââ¬â¢s bottom-up approach demonstrates how people have theRead MoreWhat Was the main theme of max webers sociology? Analysis of the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalismand webers rationality theory.1738 Words à |à 7 PagesMax Webers observations and conclusions regarding modernity and its causes have named him one of the most influential sociologists of our era. Weber believed that in the West rationality had come to become the predominant impetus for action. Weber said that Rationality was one of four motivations towards actions--the remaining three, Traditional, Affective, and Value-Oriented, had been based on more humanistic qualities and had all faded into almost insignificance in the modern age. He thought thatRead MoreIs Weber s Idea Of Economic Traditionalism1189 Words à |à 5 PagesIs weberââ¬â¢s idea of economic traditionalism analysis relevant to the study of religion? Introduction The core of research on religion at present is of no doubt touching Max Weberââ¬â¢s ideas on economic traditionalism. Weber in Solimano (2012: 42) talked about ââ¬Å"the importance of religion, especially the Protestant ethicâ⬠in economic life. By venturing into the field of sociology of religion, Weber further succeeded in arousing many scholarsââ¬â¢ interest in the study of different religions in the contemporaryRead MoreWeber s Economic Sociological Theory Essay1022 Words à |à 5 PagesAbstract Weberââ¬â¢s economic-sociological theory is based on his studies on various subjects like agricultural problems of earlier times, trade relations in medieval era and the position and condition of agricultural workers in modern factories. Weber discovered that religion and economy are always related to each other through ethical assessment of economic activities. He called this ââ¬Ëthe concept of economic ethicââ¬â¢ and published it in The Economic Ethics of the World Religions. Weber didnââ¬â¢t considerRead MoreKarl Marx And Max Weber1332 Words à |à 6 Pagesdifferent religion in depth that exist on earth and various perspectives of well known people on the study of religion. I chose Karl Marx and Max Weber for my paper assignment. Two sociologists and philosophers have discussed their views on religion and its impact on society. Most of the Sociologist of that time wrote about the role of religion in society, Karl Marx and Max Weber observations are particularly relevant for our course. Religion is one of the principle social ideologies that impacts social stabilityRead MoreNotes on Max Webers The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism859 Words à |à 3 Pagesï » ¿There are a number of different modern social theories regarding the nature of society, social change, humans place within society and the idea of how integration and alienation fit within a modern society. These paradigms combine reflexively into a notion of history. Max Weber was a German politician, scholar, economist, and sociologist. In fact, he founded the modern studies of sociology, public administration, and organizational theory. He was born in 1864 and so was writing and publishing afterRead MoreImmigration Perpectives in US1473 Words à |à 6 Pagesolder generations struggle to understand and see as odd, possibly even dangerous. Max Weberââ¬â¢s sociological philosophy for analyzing different values, morals and lifestyles with a neutral view point could be considered the only way we can grow as a society, integrate different ways of life into the giant melting pot of our world and understand younger generations, immigrants, neighbors or coworkers through their eyes. Max Weber was a member of economic departments at Freiburg University (1894) and HeidelbergRead MoreThe Social Outcomes Of Digital Information Revolution Essay1562 Words à |à 7 Pagesrevolution is seen as the worldââ¬â¢s biggest innovation, it has brought with itself positive and negatives outcomes. It has helped society but it has also damaged it. Within the context of the social theories and perspective studied in class, the outcomes of the digital information revolution support the social theories of greatest philosophers, and sociologists of all times: Karl Marx, Marx Weber and Georg Simmel. The social scientist, historian, philosopher and revolutionary, Karl Marx, is considered toRead MoreSociology and Emile Durkheim2640 Words à |à 11 PagesCompare and contrast the theories and methods of Emile Durkheim and Max Weber regarding social behavior. 1.Introduction Emile Durkheim and Max Weber are founding fathers of sociology and outstanding sociologists who made great contributions to the development of sociology and progress of human beings. Previous studies have been done about the theories and methods of Durkheim and Weber, and their works have also been studied for many times from different viewpoints, such as the nature of humanRead MoreThe Myth Of Australia As A Classless Society1074 Words à |à 5 PagesAustralia being a classless society and this essay only examines some reasons. By contrasting Karl Marx and Max Weberââ¬â¢s theory sociologists are able to explore the myth of class within Australia. Within this essay analysis it will explore exploitation, symbolic capital, social stratification and power. Weber and Marx are both sociologists that attempted to illustrate the rise of capitalism. Marxââ¬â¢s views were seen by Weber as too narrow. Sleepbus is an organisation that provides safe overnight accommodation
Monday, December 23, 2019
Heinz Company - Integrating Business Strategies and Risk...
Heinz Company - Integrating Business Strategies and Risk Management Background of the company No firm outdid H.J. Heinz in enunciating the benefits of welfare work to consumers. Sketching in consumers minds a link between the conditions under which products were assembled and their final market value, Henry Heinz made the Heinz label a household word. Unique in its success, the Heinz approach characterized consumer focused welfare publicity in two important ways. First, acute anxieties about commercial food preparation in the Progressive era encouraged food companies to advertise workplace reforms more widely than did other industries. Second, like the majority of welfare work advertising, Heinz publicity targeted middle-classâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦An objective is to prove that the company is able to provide a variety of wholesome foods, with an unwavering emphasis on health and wellness. The company wants to make sure that people will recognize them through the kind of products they have delivered. The company also wants to have a unique identity through the produc tion of unique goods. Lastly an objective is to show how the company wants to create a good image wherein people will be encouraged to invest in the company. Key Business Strategies H.J. Heinz through its leaders is trying hard to learn from its past mistakes so that they can be market savvy. Heinzââ¬â¢s key business strategy is investing in better equipments that will make their food products. The company conducts researches and inquiries on the equipments that cost lesser but can produce the best food products. The equipments used by the company have been chosen for their reliability and performance. The company also makes use of corporate responsibility strategies to create a better image. The use of such strategies help the company gain more clients. Lastly the company makes sure that it has a well organized customer service that will give assistance to clients in need. Stakeholders Internal stakeholders The internal stakeholders of the Heinz include the management of the company, employees and creditors. The Stakeholdersââ¬â¢ impact on the governance of the firm is it affects the way the company is managed. It makes sure that the companyShow MoreRelatedManagement Report Esprit10259 Words à |à 42 PagesIntroduction to Management and Research Methods EFO249 Fall 2009 Group Project : Final Management Report Company: International Marketing Group 6 International Marketing: Friederike Busch : fbh09002 Wiwatchai Jirawattananukool : wjl09001 Saruta Cholviroj: scj09001 Himmet Baran : hbn09004 Tutor : Tobias Eltebrandt 1 Table of Content 1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................Read MoreMarketting Plan of Maggi Ketchup5308 Words à |à 22 PagesNestlà © Bangladesh Limited is a leading Food company with lots of global strategic brands operating in Bangladesh. MAGGI is one of the strategic brands of Nestlà © Bangladesh Limited. Worldwide MAGGI brand is used for Nestlà ©s Soup, Noodles, Seasonings, Recipe Mixes and Sauces. In Bangladesh, MAGGI brand has two product categories under this strategic brand name: Noodles and Soups. As part of the brand extension and value creation objective of the company, Nestlà © now is going to launch MAGGI KetchupRead MoreInternational Management Essay3531 Words à |à 15 Pagesï » ¿ BACHELOR OF COMMERCE INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT WRITTEN CASE ANALYSIS REPORT: The Last Rajah: Ratan Tata and Tataââ¬â¢s Global Expansion Declaration: Except where I have indicated, the work I am submitting in this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted for assessment in another course. CONTENTS Page Executive Summary 4 1. Introduction 5 2. Source Problems 6 3. Secondary Problems 6 3.1 Long term 6 3.1.1 Diversification of investments andRead MoreVolvo Geely12051 Words à |à 49 PagesSAVONIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES Savonia Business Chinaââ¬â¢s Foreign Investment Analysis Case Study of Geely Acquired Volvo Zhang Huihui Business Administration Bachelorââ¬â¢s Thesis Degree Programme International Business April 2012 SAVONIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES SAVONIA BUSINESS Degree Programme, option Degree Programme in International Business Author(s) Zhang Huihui Title of study Chinaââ¬â¢s Foreign Direct Investment Analysis Case Study of Geelyââ¬â¢s acquisitionRead MoreBlake Mycoskie And Toms : Case Study3555 Words à |à 15 PagesBlake Mycoskie and TOMS INTRODUCTION TO THE CASE: This case is about Blake Mycoskie and his company TOMS, blake mycoskie was a young entrepreneur who started four business and was successful in all of them later sold them in profits, he always had that spark of becoming successful entrepreneur and change the world for future, on his trip to Argentina, he saw poor people who does not have shoes to wear, people having blisters, soars and infections and they even cannot have medication as it is tooRead MoreResources Capabilities20336 Words à |à 82 PagesCapability Capabilities in Strategy Formulation Basing Strategy on Resources and Capabilities Resources and Capabilities as Sources of Proï ¬ t l The Resources of the Firm Tangible Resources Intangible Resources Human Resources Analysis to Work: A Practical Guide Step 1 Identify the Key Resources and Capabilities 123 CSAC05 1/13/07 9:21 Page 124 124 PART II THE TOOLS OF STRATEGY ANALYSIS Step 2 Appraising Resources and Capabilities Step 3 Developing Strategy Implications l DevelopingRead MoreKraft Foods Inc6488 Words à |à 26 Pages12/23/2011 Tudor Corneliu Master Fabiz, An II, Gr. II 12/23/2011 Contents 1. Kraft Foods Int 1 1.1. History 2 1.2. The Business 2 1.3. Sales evolution 3 1.4. MNE characteristics 4 2. The internationalization process of Kraft Foods 5 2.1. Kraft Foods in Romania 5 2.2. 2008/2009 turn around 6 3. Kraft Foods strategic management 7 3.1. Kraft foods mission, vision and values 8 3.2. External analysis 8 3.2.1. Competitors 9 3.2.2. New entrants 9 3.2.3Read MoreMcdonalds Marketing8107 Words à |à 33 PagesICHEC- ISC SAINT LOUIS- ISFSC CATEGORIE ECONOMIQUE HORAIRE DECALE DEUXIEME ANNEE DU BACCALAUREAT COURS DE MARKETING MANAGEMENTà : TRAVAUX PRATIQUES McDonaldââ¬â¢s | Pallarà ©s Garcà a, Juan Ferrer Villacampa, Clara SPANISH ERASMUS STUDENTS ANNEE ACADEMIQUE 2010-2011 Contents Index: 1) Introduction: 1.1) Business model 1.2) Suppliers 1.3) History 1.3.1) Advertising themes 1.3.2) General advertising 1.4) CustomersRead MoreGeneral Electric60506 Words à |à 243 Pagesexplores the concepts surrounding organizational strategy. It begins with an explanation of the term strategy and offers a basis for how to identify a companyââ¬â¢s particular strategy. Next, it explores the importance of striving for competitive advantage in the marketplace and examines the role strategy plays in achieving this advantage. The chapter then explores the idea that strategy is partly proactive and partly reactive. Next, a discussion on strategy and ethics is given. This is followed by a closeRead MoreEnvironmental Analysis19492 Words à |à 78 Pagesanalysis that the strategist should then be in a far better position to begin the process of deciding upon the detail of the organizationââ¬â¢s future direction and the ways in which strategy is formulated. The starting point of this process is a detailed audit. An audit produces wealth of information which will help management to decide on both short term and long term planning. In order to establish where an organization is placed in its environment with respect to its competitive position, it is
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Foreign Auto Shop Free Essays
Running Head: Foreign Auto Shop Final Case Paper jose terrs Submitted To: Dr. torres October 21ST, 2012 GEBB515 ââ¬â ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP Abstract Many companies around the world have different styles of management. Some companies have ââ¬Å"laid back managersâ⬠others have ââ¬Å"drill sergeant managersâ⬠both types of managers are like and disliked. We will write a custom essay sample on Foreign Auto Shop or any similar topic only for you Order Now Management plays a very important role in any job field. The overall supervision and leadership shown by the management is what I think, constructs a business to a successful business. Every business needs a foundation. Once the foundation is settled, itââ¬â¢s just a step by step dedication with the owner and its leadership trend team. In this case analysis, Alan shows a mellow characteristic of a manger. But when things get serious, he has a ââ¬Å"strong willed go getter manger characteristicâ⬠. The owner of the foreign auto shop has a much laid back personality informed to us by the case. Alan has a very well wanted leadership phase that many employees look for in a boss. Usual leadership situations in the auto repair shop consist of making sure every employee is doing the right job the right way, but without being to ââ¬Å"on top of themâ⬠while they perform their work talent. The owner is also head supervisor of the overall shop. He has 7 employees working for his shop in which two of them (Gil amp; Hans) are the easiest to supervise due to the fact that they are more experienced in all subjects of the mechanical work field. Along with his other two employees (Bart amp; Herbie) which are dedicated in to their specific parts of the mechanical workforce. Bart works more on motorcycles, whereas Herbie is a whiz at trouble shooting engine problems. Three other employees require closer supervision by Alan because they are less skilled oriented. By going back to the abstract you will see how a ââ¬Å"foundationâ⬠is needed to create a wonderful and successful business. Well Alan has his overall view of what he is dedicated to, and has built a wonderful and creative team that are focused on making sure the client is always happy. Alanââ¬â¢s typical leadership style is considerately appropriate for his leadership situation. Alan is described to be a less ââ¬Å"on pointâ⬠supervisor amongst his employees. He knows that they are doing their job. He always makes himself available to on the floor to his employees if they are in need of any help or have specific questions. His fairness and openness have earned him the continuing respect and trust if his employees. Sometimes always being a mellow ââ¬Å"laid backâ⬠kind of manager is not always a good thing also because many employees can take that and use it against the management. For example, seeing the manager being easy going and not too ââ¬Å"put forwardâ⬠can sometimes escalate to the actual employee not accomplishing his work goal and just taking it easy. In this case, Alan shows his double side. ââ¬Å"Things are not always greener on the other side of the fenceâ⬠. There is certainly something very interesting regarding the cause and effect of running a laissez-faire organization, particularly corporations. Ultimately, when it comes to laid back management, it is not really a matter of whether to be lenient or not. Oftentimes, it is a matter of when to be indulgent, because there are certain circumstances that will cause either an advancement or failure. Laid back management is actually a good strategy. Needless to say, workers have to be entitled with certain rights and privileges. Lenient management is often the core of empowering the laborers. More often than not, empowering laborers proved to boost the overall prosperity of the corporation. Oftentimes this may come into explicit forms of idealistic gestures, such as enabling the worker to make any constructive suggestions regarding the company policies. Some companies find this method too lenient to a point of negligence, but there are those that abide by its format. An example of a popular tactic of promoting lenient management is the establishment of friendly relations with employees, although such a gesture could be taken as an extreme idealism for many traditional types of corporations. In certain ways, friendly relationship between the laborer and overseer would result to easy productivity because both parties could defer to one another and even work together to overcome certain challenges. A friendly relationship is often deemed good like-minded academic school of thought for the simple reason that respect for fellow human beings, especially in terms of their dignity, is a non-negotiable aspect of civil law. Alanââ¬â¢s leadership style during the flood was put out to be his ââ¬Å"Dr. Jekyll amp; Mr. Hydeâ⬠side. When he noticed that the storm was advancing rapidly towards the valley where his shop is located, Alan to be on the safe side went out to roll up the windows of the clients cars that were in the parking lot waiting to be worked on. Then he noticed that the creek was already rising high and ran back to the shop but got soaked by the rain. His employees laughed at him for: not having enough sense to come in out of the rain. â⬠After 15minutes of hard rain, he realized it wasnââ¬â¢t just a rainstorm, but an actual flood. He ran into the shop and announced in a loud voice that the creek was flooding and instructed all his employees to do certain jobs but nobody seemed to be moving. An employee walked over to Alan and told him, does he really think itââ¬â¢s gonna flood because itââ¬â¢s rained like this before and it doesnââ¬â¢t even reach more than an inch. Alan looks at the employee in the eyes and interrupted his employee by saying in an assertive manner, ââ¬Å"Listen, ad listen good! You and the rest of the crew are going to do what I say, and youââ¬â¢re going to do it now! We can talk later about whether it was a good idea. â⬠By coming out and managing in this manner, Alan shows himself to no longer be a mellow ââ¬Å"laid backâ⬠manager but be an assertive and ââ¬Å"drill sergeantâ⬠manager. Another very concrete situation from which laid back management will truly not go as planned is when the corporate heads issue an urgent massive quota on such a short deadline. For instance, bombarding laborers with tasks in streamline payroll processing. If the management allows the workers to have a say according to their preference, nobody would be willing to work with such a given condition. The greatest error of imposing laissez-faire supervision is when it comes to the point that the laborers would feel entitled to defy a corporate order. There is a fine line between liberty and anarchy, and the latter could sometimes result from high expectations that are stifled by necessity. His effective behaviors were implemented as being an easy going manager when things are not a risk or are being done incorrectly and a serious go getter when he sees that his business is in danger or an employee is performing incorrectly. After the flood subsided his way of management was very well performed by showing each of his employees that he is highly appreciative of each contribution each employee performed while the flood was in effect. Assertiveness is a key component to being an effective manager, and is particularly important when dealing with difficult employees who thrive on testing your boundaries. Why do employees behave badly to begin with? Because the manager who is in authority is allowing them to behave that way, ââ¬Å"laid backâ⬠managers Some techniques that can be used to become a more assertive ââ¬â and, therefore, more effective ââ¬â manager: Set and communicate clear boundaries and expectations. Managers who fail to clearly define and consistently enforce boundaries are just asking for trouble from their employees. Your employees are not mind readers,â⬠Shepard emphasized. ââ¬Å"You have got to clearly, clearly, clearly define what you expect and what you will not tolerate. â⬠The good news, he pointed out, is that ââ¬Å"the firmer you are and the more people realize you donââ¬â¢t budge, the less they will test the boundaries. â⬠Hold everyone accountable, even when you donââ¬â¢t want to. ââ¬Å"You have an obligation to your company to do the right thing; they are paying you to make the tough decisions,â⬠stated Shepard. You also ââ¬Å"owe it to your good employees not to let problem employees get away with things they shouldnââ¬â¢t. Although this can be particularly hard when youââ¬â¢re dealing with someone you like or with whom you empathize, said Shepard, ââ¬Å"you are a manager, not Dr. Phil. Donââ¬â¢t get involved in personal lives. â⬠Donââ¬â¢t stomp on your employeesââ¬â¢ rights or be disrespectful. ââ¬Å"You donââ¬â¢t have to be a jerk to be assertive,â⬠he noted. A dysfunctional, authoritarian manager will be able to get employees to comply, but not to commit. ââ¬Å"You want people to commit, because thatââ¬â¢s how you get your employees to give more than you ask for. â⬠Choose your battles carefully. A smart manager knows that itââ¬â¢s better to lose the battle, sometimes, in order to win the war,â⬠Shepard observed. Choosing not to fight a battle you know you canââ¬â¢t win is a sign of wisdom, not weakness. Being assertive will earn you respect, but only few know how and when to become assertive. High level executives and managers are generally very assertive. However, if they use their positions of power and authority in order to belittle, intimidate, and control those beneath them, it will cause a lot of trouble and loss of respect over the long term. Employees will begin to resent such executives and managers. Their productivity will eventually begin to fall, and if the dictatorial behavior of the executives and managers continues, it will not be long before the organization begins experiencing a high employee turnover. To avoid this problem, it is important to understand the difference between being assertive and being an autocrat. While some managers avoid dictatorial behavior in favor of being passive, this too is just as bad. The problem with passive managers is that employees often do not know what is expected of them, and they will often take the manager for granted. Employees may violate company policy while working in their department, and they will do this largely because they feel the passive manager will let them get away with it. A manager or executive who is assertive is an individual who maintains a balance between these two extremes. If you are passive or dictatorial, your behavior will have a negative impact on your career sooner or later. A manager who is assertive is an individual who can lead their employees, and they can do it without having to use a firm hand, or raise their voice. Some managers do not understand the difference between assertiveness and aggression, so they choose to be passive. But there is a critical difference between the two. An aggressive manager tends to be an individual who is quick to anger. They will usually bang their fists on the desk when an employee does something wrong, and they have no problem raising their voice or yelling at their subordinates. The aggressive manager will generally treat his employees like children. The problem with this form of behavior is that employees are not children, they are adults, and when you treat adults like children, they tend to harbor a great deal of resentment. The aggressive manager is also quick to criticize the work of his employees. If he sees something wrong with the work of his subordinate, he will be quick to point out all the negative aspects of it, as opposed to the positive aspects. In contrast, a passive manager is someone who is easy to walk over. Because he does not take things seriously, the employees will not take things seriously, and they will often do what they want despite the companyââ¬â¢s rules and regulations. The primary reason for this is because the passive manager does not bother to enforce the rules. A passive manager will typically avoid doing anything with his employees that might cause conflict, as they do not want to disrupt the workings of their department. The ironic thing about this view is that those who try to avoid conflict the most are the individuals who are most likely to run into it. While the assertive manager is not aggressive, they make everyone understand that their rules must be followed. In conclusion, changing Alanââ¬â¢s way of managing and supervising shouldnââ¬â¢t be changed because of the way he makes himself available to his employees and thanking each employee for their contributions when the flood happened. Hi manner of managing is what makes his business what it is today. Having his clients respect and trust his provided services. References * Yukl, G. (2008). Leadership in organnizations. (7th ed. , pp. 259-257). Upper saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson. * Exforsys Inc. (2009, January 29). Traits of an assertive manager. Retrieved from http://www. exforsys. com/career-center/assertive/traits-of-an-assertive-manager. html * Alexander Hamilton Institute. (2012, April 23). Keep employees in check through assertive management techniques. Retrieved from http://www. businessmanagementdaily. com/19465/keep-employees-in-check-through-assertive-management-techniques * HR system: The pros and cons of laid back manpower management. (2012, October 9). Retrieved from http://hrxpayroll. com/blog/hr-system-the-pros-and-cons-of-laid-back-manpower-management/ * Shannon, E. (2004, December 12). The six different types of managers and How to cite Foreign Auto Shop, Papers
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Ethics in Social Networking and Business â⬠MyAssignmenthelp.com
Question: Discuss about the Ethics in Social Networking and Business. Answer: Introduction Platform based peer production system or as commonly known as common based peer production can be defined as a socio economic activity. As opined by Kostakis, Niaros and Giotitsas (2015), such system of producing goods and services involves the usage of the latest technology and internet services. The platform based peer production system has been able to grow and develop in the technological environment. The basic principle of this system of production is that it brings together hundreds and thousands of people who aim to work together for the purpose of effectively sharing knowledge, information and cultural goods. However, organizations that have been built on such platform based peer production system do not have a rigid managerial hierarchy and are not subject to very competitive market pricing. According to Bauwens and Niaros (2017), the presence of several factors including innovative software and unique technologies have contributed to the growth of companies based on the Platform based peer production system. However, in this essay it will be discussed whether proponents of this system are right in claiming that companies based on platform based peer production system have positively affected the society or those who believe that the operations of such companies are inherently unethical. Aforementioned discussion will be done in light of the companies Uber and Deliveroo have been chosen as they are companies which are based on platform based peer production system. The common based or platform based peer production model was first developed by Yochai Bnekler, a Harvard Law school professor (Benkler, 2016). The business models of companies such as Uber and Deliveroo, have provided enormous scope of growth and expansion, however such companies have been facing some labor issues. According to a report by Forbes, the companies Uber and Deliveroo have been involved in a lot controversy regarding whether the operations of the company (Forbes.com 2018). The companies have faced allegations that their operations are not in compliance with the ethical standards. Uber has been received several accusations of sexual harassment of the employees and customers. Uber has also been accused of illegally acquiring medical records of Rape victims in order to put down their claims (The Conversation, 2018). The HR department of Uber has also faced allegations of having unfavorable work environment for women. Having been involved in such immoral, unethical and activ ities has adversely affected the reputation of Uber. However, it does not seem to affect the bottom line of Ubers operations. The CEO of Uber, Travis Kalanick had announced that the company would undertake an investigation to find the people who were responsible for the allegations of sexual harassment as faced by the company (www.theguardian.com 2018). After the results of the investigations had been revealed 20 employees of Uber were terminated for indulging in inappropriate sexual conduct, some of whom were senior officials. However the identities of the employees had not been disclosed. The management of the company had initially assessed that improving the PR of the company would be effective to cleanse its image however, it has not been sufficient to get it out of the controversies (Constantiou, Marton and Tuunainen 2017). The transport department of London has decided to withdraw the license of Uber which will make Uber non operation in the territory of London (The Conversation, 2018). Ubers business model primarily focuses on the growth and expansion of the company which reflects its imperial ambitions. The economic business model of the company does not have scope for allocating funds to improve the safety of the customers and the drivers alike and adopt of a CSR policy. The business model of Uber is very similar to that of Amazon. Both the companies primarily rely on the investments made by the investors to fund growth and expansion of the same in new markets (Graham and Woodcock 2018). Amazon had been able to achieve monopoly in the retail sector by making huge investments in the initial phase. Becoming a monopoly in the retail market has allowed it to earn huge profits. Amazon however, had a competitive advantage over the retail stores as it did not have to incur cost of establishments and maintenance of the shop fronts, which the other retail stores had to incur for conducting business. However there is one primary difference retail industry and the taxi busi ness. As opined by Massotte (2017), the retail industry makes use of economies of scale to operate in the national and then in the international markets. The taxi industry however operates in a different way and thus has remained localized. The major costs involved in the taxi industry are costs of cars, fuels and drivers. However Ubers business model does not recognize such costs and only focuses on the allocation of funds for evolving in new markets. The goal of evolving in new markets is achieved by subsidizing the wages of the drivers and reducing the passenger fees. Uber has been able to grow and emerge in new markets due to the investment of $11.5 billion dollars which was raised from investors and banks. However, the company has not been able to make substantive profits ever since it started operating. In the year 2016, the company sustained loss of three billion dollars. Uber thus has to pay back the sum either by equity or debts. Thus it can be said that the ever growing debts of the company does not allow the company to afford compliance with ethical standards. Uber is required to provide safety to the customers and employment protection to the drivers so as to function properly in a regulated market. If the company continues to face competition from the local competitors the company will not be able to achieve monopoly and has little hope of repaying the sum to the investors. Deliveroo is another company, which is based on platform based peer production system and has been involved in controversies for not complying with ethical standards. Deliveroo managers have claimed that the couriers who are engaged in delivering takeaways are not to be treated as employees of the company but merely independent suppliers. Managers have suggested that as couriers who make deliveries are treated as independent contractors, they do not have any employment rights. Such suppliers are differentiated from the staff and the employees who constitute the team. As opined by (Sabin 2016), treating the drivers and suppliers by Uber and Deliveroo has allowed the companies to avoid the obligations of paying a minimum wage to them. The business models of the aforementioned companies treat the drivers and the food suppliers as independent contractors for the purpose of saving millions of dollars in Holiday pay and sick leave. The management of Deliveroo has been provided with a list of dos and donts as the workers who had employed by the company in the gig economy claimed to take legal action against the company (www.theguardian.com 2018). Such couriers who make deliveries and takewayas have demanded that a clarification must be provided regarding the differentiation between the employees and independent contractors. The couriers have demanded more employment rights including the right to receive a minimum wage, holiday and sick pay (Recruitment-international.co.uk, 2018). According to the reports issued by the law firm Leigh Day, over two hundred Deliveroo workers have claimed that they should be recognized and addressed as employees as they are required to carry out a shift trial, wear uniforms during the duty hours and are paid wages is much lesser than the minimum wage rate (www.theguardian.com 2018). It has been claimed that the movements of the couriers are constantly monitored by their employers an d such couriers are subjected to performance reviews by such couriers, however, the company does not acknowledge and recognize them as employees of the organization, they have no say over the terms of their employment. The operations of the companies like Uber and Deliveroo, which are based on the platform based peer production system, can be analyzed by the application of several ethical theories. According to the theory of Utilitarianism, it can be said that a act is considered to be right and ethical if it aims to create the greatest benefit for the most number of people. As opined by (Eggleston and Miller, 2014), the actions of individuals and companies must ensure to maximize the good consequences over the bad consequences. The theory of Utilitarianism focuses on the utility of actions. As opined by (Hall and Page, 2015), utility of any action is calculated by summation of the consequences of the actions undertaken by individuals. For the purpose of assessing whether the operations of the companies Uber and Deliveroo are in line with the ethical principles of Utilitarianism, it is important to identify the stakeholders involved. The drivers and the customers are the stakeholders for Uber and the couriers who take deliveries are stakeholders for Deliveroo. It can be said that Uber has failed to create the greatest good for the customers and drivers. The acts of sexual haras sments faced by customers of Uber provide evidence that ethical standards are not met by the company. The act of not recognizing the drivers as employees in order to avoid paying them employment benefits is also unethical since it does not create any benefit for the drivers. Thus according to the principles of Utilitarianism, the operations of the company Uber are Unethical. In case of Deliveroo the same can be said. The company Deliveroo like Uber does not recognize the couriers as employees in order to avoid paying employment benefits to them. Thus this can be viewed as unethical as no benefits are provided to the stakeholders. The theory of Virtue ethics is another theory that can be applied to assess whether the operations of the companies in concern are ethical. As opined by (Van Hooft, 2014) , the theory of virtue ethics is a normative theory which focuses on the virtue and moral character of a decision as opposed to duties and consequences of actions. Upholding the virtue or moral value is the fundamental aim of this theory just like consequences of actions are focused on most by consequensialists (Annas, 2015). As opined by (Carr 2016), virtue can be inherent quality of a person, the same can be acquired over time as well. Thus if the operations of the company Uber and Deliveroo are to be analyzed from the perspective of the Virtue Ethics it can be said that not recognizing the drivers and couriers as employees just to just avoid paying them employment benefits is prima facie unethical. It is no ethical to regard the couriers who make deliveries as independent contractors as their movements are tracke d and they have to wear uniform during shift hours. However their wage rate is lower than the minimum wage rate as set government. According to Letwin et al. (2016), deontology theories primarily focus on the duties of individuals. Such theories of deontology assess an action on the basis of whether it is right or wrong. Unlike the theory of consequentialism, deontological theories do not consideration the consequences of actions. Moral status of an act is determined by the intention of the agent performing it rather than the consequences of the act (Lefkowitz 2017). Thus by analyzing the operations of Uber and Deliveroo by the principles of Deontology it can be stated that the operations of the companies are inherently unethical. It is the responsibility of Uber to provide employment protection to the drivers and safety to the customers, however its business model cannot afford to allocate funds to comply with ethical standards. In case of the company Deliveroo, it can be said that it is the duty of the company to provide employment benefits to the courier as they significantly contribute to the success of the company. They are the ones who perform the main operations of the delivering the food. Thus it can be said that it is unethical to label them as independent contractors in order to avoid paying them employment benefits. Conclusion Thus in conclusion it can be said that the companies based on peer production system such as Uber and Deliveroo have immense opportunity for growth and expansion in new markets. However the business models of Uber and Deliveroo can afford to allocate funds in order to comply with ethical standards. The companies Uber and Deliveroo thus have been involved in a lot of controversy. Uber has faced allegations of sexual harassments of employees and customers and accusations of suppressing records of such sexual harassments. The Company Deliveroo has also been involved in a controversy as the couriers who make the deliveries have been labeled as independent contractors to avoid paying them any employment benefits. After analyzing these actions by several ethical theories it can be said that they are inherently unethical. Reference List: Annas, J., 2015. Applying virtue to ethics.Journal of Applied Philosophy,32(1), pp.1-14. Bauwens, M. and Niaros, V., 2017. The emergence of peer production: challenges and opportunities for labour and unions. Benkler, Y., 2016. Peer production and cooperation.Handbook on the Economics of the Internet,91. Bennett, W.L., Segerberg, A. and Walker, S., 2014. Organization in the crowd: peer production in large-scale networked protests.Information, Communication Society,17(2), pp.232-260. Butler, S. (2018).Deliveroo accused of 'creating vocabulary' to avoid calling couriers employees. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/apr/05/deliveroo-couriers-employees-managers [Accessed 27 Feb. 2018]. Carr, D., 2016. Virtue, character and emotion in people professions: towards a virtue ethics of interpersonal professional conduct. InTowards Professional Wisdom(pp. 113-126). Routledge. Eggleston, B. and Miller, D.E. eds., 2014.The Cambridge companion to utilitarianism. Cambridge University Press. Frazer, M.L. and Slote, M., 2015. Virtue Ethics.The Routledge Companion to Virtue Ethics, p.197. Graham, M. and Woodcock, J., 2018. Towards a fairer platform economy: introducing the Fairwork Foundation Hall, C.M. and Page, S.J., 2015. Following the impact factor: Utilitarianism or academic compliance?. Tourism Management,51, pp.309-312. Kostakis, V., Niaros, V. and Giotitsas, C., 2015. Production and governance in hackerspaces: A manifestation of Commons-based peer production in the physical realm?.International Journal of Cultural Studies,18(5), pp.555-573. Lefkowitz, J., 2017.Ethics and values in industrial-organizational psychology. Taylor Francis. Letwin, C., Wo, D., Folger, R., Rice, D., Taylor, R., Richard, B. and Taylor, S., 2016. The right and the good in ethical leadership: Implications for supervisors performance and promotability evaluations.Journal of Business Ethics,137(4), pp.743-755. Lownsbrough, H. (2018).Ubers practices are morally unacceptable but a boycott wont help | Hannah Lownsbrough.the Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/13/uber-practices-company-london-consumer-sumofus Massotte, P., 2017.Ethics in Social Networking and Business 1: Theory, Practice and Current Recommendations. John Wiley Sons. Piacquadio, P.G., 2017. A fairness justification of utilitarianism.Econometrica,85(4), pp.1261-1276. Recruitment-international.co.uk. (2018).FCSA urges enforcement of minimum wage as Deliveroo couriers pursue workers rights - Recruitment International. [online] Available at: https://www.recruitment-international.co.uk/blog/2016/11/fcsa-urges-enforcement-of-minimum-wage-as-deliveroo-couriers-pursue-workers-rights [Accessed 7 Mar. 2018].. Solon, O. (2018).Uber fires more than 20 employees after sexual harassment investigation.the Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/06/uber-fires-employees-sexual-harassment-investigation The Conversation. (2018).Uber can't be ethical its business model won't allow it. [online] Available at: https://theconversation.com/uber-cant-be-ethical-its-business-model-wont-allow-it-85015 [Accessed 27 Feb. 2018]. Van Hooft, S., 2014.Understanding virtue ethics. Routledge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)