Utilitarianism. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill Essay

Utilitarianism. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) - Essay Example As Bentham wrote in Chapter 1 of ‘An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation,’ "By the principle of utility is meant that principle which approves or disapproves of every action whatsoever, according to the tendency it appears to have to augment or diminish the happiness of the party whose interest is in question: or, what is the same thing in other words, to promote or to oppose that happiness." (Bentham, 1823) Utilitarianism addresses the philosophical problem that occurs in the definition of â€Å"the good† in a pluralistic society where many people may differ on defining exactly what constitutes objective standards in moral reasoning. Utilitarianism is important in its relationship to the development of empirical standards in science to replace theological justifications of right and wrong in society, as well as in the growth of democracy, which required a solution to moral issues related to the disagreement among groups with different standar ds of belief. Utilitarianism is often summarized as â€Å"the greatest good for the greatest number† being used to calculate the moral correctness of an action, decision, or policy for both individuals and society on a common standard. According to Larsen (2011), utilitarianism is â€Å"a normative ethical theory under ethical Naturalism† and also a â€Å"teleological – consequential (outcome based) – ethical theory†.... ed upon their outcome in society in producing the greatest good for the greatest number of people, and that the ‘utility’ of an action can be calculated through its use in the production of this social good. Utilitarianism as a guide to personal behavior can relate to both personal experiences of happiness or pleasure as a guide to conduct and a recognition of the greater good of society as a higher motivation for service. Through this, the basis for moral action is established in Utilitarianism for both the individual and society. One of the major ways that Bentham and Mill differed in their theory of Utilitarianism is that Bentham based his definition of ‘the good’ in a limited formulation of pleasure and pain that defined happiness objectively through the individual, but tended to reduce Utilitarianism to the principles of hedonism, while Mill based his definition of Utilitarianism in a conceptually expanded view of happiness that included societal ideals , virtues, and altruistic beliefs of human activity in order to represent ‘the greater good’ in a wider manner. (Driver, 2009) Another difference is that Bentham is regarded retrospectively as proposing â€Å"Act Utilitarianism† whereas Mill was an advocate of â€Å"Rule Utilitarianism†. (Lotito, 2002) Act Utilitarianism applies logic and reasoning to each individual and collective activity in order to determine through direct cognition, moral reasoning, and reflection whether or not the activity serves the happiness of the greatest number of people. Rule Utilitarianism seeks to establish predetermined rules of order related to moral reasoning that can be applied by the individual or groups in making decisions that operate on their own fundamentals of interpretation according to utilitarian logic and can

Ethical And Socially Responsible Business Practice Management Essay

Ethical And Socially Responsible Business Practice Management Essay Around the world organizations are being forced to struggle to meet the requirements of the existing generation without compromising the facilities of the succeeding generations to come across their own needs. Organizations are requested to take responsibility for the actions their conduct influence humanities and the natural environment. Additionally, they are being requested to implement sustainability principles to the habits in which they do their business. Sustainability in the organization refers to voluntary activities that exhibit the presence of public and ecological concerns in business actions and in connections with stakeholders. It is no further acceptable for an organization to practise economic success in separation from those which are impacted by its actions. An organization should now emphasize its attention on both maintaining its profits and being a good corporate citizen. Organizations have been forced to restructure their frameworks, rules and business models to provide both private and public benefits while keeping well-informed of global trends and remaining devoted to financial duties. To understand and improve existing efforts, the most socially responsible organizations carry on revising their short-term and long-term plans, to stay ahead of rapidly changing challenges. Although it is easier said but in reality the implementation is challenging and limited in scope, however, there are benefits to the organization. This piece of work will give an outline of the challenges, limitations that a business encounters and the strengths that are derived from their ethical and socially responsible business practice. Employees work excessive overtime, in some cases seven days a week, and live in crowded dorms. Some say they stand so long that their legs swell until they can hardly walk. More troubling, the groups say, is some suppliers disregard for workers health. Two years ago, 137 workers at an Apple supplier in eastern China were injured after they were ordered to use a poisonous chemical to clean  iPhone screens. Within seven months last year, two explosions at iPad factories, including in Chengdu, killed four people and injured 77. Duhigg Barboza. The New York Times (2012).  In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad.   Organizations, here for instance Apple Inc., to escape from their unethical and embarrassing situation to entail them to additional costs in order to decrease the excessive hours of labour. For example, a decrease in the regular working hours from the existing sixty to seventy hours per week to forty-eight hours per week would demand in the region of more than 30 per cent upsurge in the labour force to sustain the existing rate of productivity. In order to provide accommodations for the increase in labour force the factory would be required to build extra related infrastructure, such as kitchenettes, security guards, healthcare policies and transportation facilities. The initial capital investment has to be quite generous to rapidly amend all the situations at hand. The labour force, usually in developing countries, do not prefer less overtime hours because it sinks their earnings. Factory owners love to keep regular wages as low as possible so as to incentivize workers toward overtime work. Considering the point of view of the factor owner or organizations, such as Apple Inc., the actual cost is the average wage per hour and the difference between fixed and overtime wage rates is a scheme to make the labour force work more hours. The issues surrounding well-being and safety relating to production facilities are also rooted in the principal manufacturing scheme and occur for reasons that are similar to wages and working hours. The improvements to the physical conditions to the factory would include improved air filtration arrangement, better tangible work assets and the establishment of safety equipment would entail to non-productive capital factory area and result in the rise of operating expenses without proportionate rise in the quantity of units manufactured per any measures of productive efficiencies. From Apples viewpoint, the disputes of the labour force earnings and working environment has been the needless interference that must be minimized before the strong and determined displeasure of Apples customers, stockholders and regulators who are their three main body of voters. To abide by with higher standards of social responsibility, organizations have undertaken inspection on the firms they employed in their supply chain. Differences between authentic and audit results do exist. For example, at Foxconn after the heart-breaking events of workers suicide, Apple inspected the working condition of those related factories. Its enquiry report demonstrated no problems of worker overtime and no child labour. Ironically, after the assurance of good working conditions in the enquiry report, the suicide incidents have continued. The difficulty in auditing is that the firm can hide the faults and workers can hide the truth out of fear. When becoming involved in ethical business practices, developing consumer scepticism limits the business progress. They are doubtful about the true incentive behind the practices and are not easily influenced that a business is acting in the benefits of the community. Another significant limitation that results from business practices is that it can negatively affect business profits. How can a business defend expenditure on activities that offer no returns for the business? Unethical practices will cause a bad reputation which in effect will result in falling stock prices. Organizations that maintain high ethical principles are provided with legal and financial incentives by regulatory bodies. Facing mounting criticism, factories have made significant changes, but bigger steps are ahead for electronics supplier. Foxconn,  Apples top manufacturer, has improved safety conditions and cut working hours in an effort to resolve violations at its plants that triggered a global scandal for the iPad and iPhone maker. The FLA said Foxconn had made significant improvements such as introducing more breaks and better maintenance of safety equipment. The company more than doubled wages after protests from worker groups and is backing a local law adjustment that will extend unemployment insurance. Dominic Rushe. The Guardian (2012).  Apple manufacturer Foxconn improves on Chinese workers hours and safety. Evaluating the above reference it is observed that Apple realized the bigger picture. In general and in accordance to the reference, a number of strengths can be derived in advantage to Apple and organizations. Ethical business practices can provide a distinction of an organization from its competition. Whether an organization is affiliating with non-profit organizations, offering employee benefits, maintaining environment friendly policies these practices will improve your companys internal atmosphere and industry connections. All these aspects will develop the organization reputation and build a long-term strategy for success. As the organization grows a reputation for ethical business practices, the customers will begin to consider the business as trustworthy and morally honest. The confidence your customers sense for the organization is an essential element in developing long-term customer relationships and brand loyalty provided your business provided quality products. These passionate customers will talk to their related people and positively create more brand loyal customers. Brand loyal customers are a good medium of advertising helping organizations to become profitable and successful. Ethical and socially responsible business practices towards the organizations employees such as providing being working environment and incentives will lead to efficiency and productivity. The productivity of employees increases with good ethical practices existing in an organization. People regard ethics, social responsibility and business ethics in terms of administrative defiance with legal principles and observance to internal regulations. In order to achieve success many organizations believe that they must earn the respect and assurance of their customers. Organizations are being questioned, encouraged and pushed to improve their business practices to put emphasis on legal and ethical conduct. Companies, professional firms and individuals are being held more and more responsible for their engagements, as demand grows for higher principles of corporate social responsibility. Business will be obstructed by challenges and limitations but it will require a lot of patience, encouragement and money to gain the benefits from their ethical and socially responsible practices. 1347 words

Nursing Home Evaluation Essay -- Nursing Home Healthcare Elderly Essay

Nursing Home Evaluation I am seeking to find a home for my 76 year old Grandfather Leroy. It is becoming increasingly difficult for him to take care of himself and no family members are available to take care of him as it is becoming a full time job. He was diagnosed with colon cancer a few years back and his disease, in conjunction with chemotherapy, has taken away his capacity to care for himself. He was also recently diagnosed with Parkinson ¡Ã‚ ¯s disease. The name of the Nursing home that I chose to evaluate is the Lakeview Nursing Center.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This facility on the outside appears to be well maintained. It is composed of brick and is set in a good neighborhood. Upon entering the facility, the first thing I noticed was the pleasant odor that it had. I had been to nursing homes in the past and could recall how they stank mostly of urine and waste. This facility smelled fresh and clean. Cleanliness is a great attribute for a home that features 180 beds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This home offers care to those with Parkinson ¡Ã‚ ¯s disease, recent stroke victims, as well as Respiratory, Hospice and Respite care. Not all of the residents of this home suffer from any of these diseases, or require special care, but care is available to these particular patients should it be applicable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first question that I asked Nurse Egan was what she thought was the best part about working for Lakeview. She told me that one of the better things about working here is that many of the residents of this home are from or have family living in the Lincoln Park Area. Living in such close proximity to loved ones in a nursing home promotes more frequent visitation from family members. She tells me that typically the happiest residents are the ones that have the most friends and family visiting them. Frequent interaction with loved ones as well as living in a positive environment like the one at Lakeview leads to satisfied residents. When she finished giving me her answer, I decided to put what she had to say to the test. So I decided to simply walk through the corridor and see if the residents seemed happy or not.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first room that I passed by had two older gentlemen playing chess. I knocked on the door and identified myself as a curious college student that wanted to ask them a few questions. Kenneth and John eagerly invited me in and immediately offered me something to dri... ... taken with his family and displayed for all too see.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have been to other nursing homes in the past and found them to be unsanitary and downright boring to be in. This nursing home is extremely clean and welcoming as far as nursing homes. While I don ¡Ã‚ ¯t think that someone would choose to live in a nursing home, if they had to, this home would prove sufficient. The impact of this assignment was greater that expected. I expected to walk into a stench-laden home with old people gathered around a television. Rather I found a clean home with older residents engaged in social situations with both the help and each other. While nobody wants to send my grandfather to a home, it is something that needs to be done. This home could adequately provide for his health care needs as well as expose him to a socially productive and enriching environment. I feel that most importantly the family must uphold their end of the bargain if they are to put a loved one in a home. They must frequently visit their resident and show them that they are missed and loved every bit as much as they were when they weren ¡Ã‚ ¯t in a home. My family will visit Grandpa as often as when he lived in his apartment.

Fashions

A particular make, a shape ,a style ,or a pattern followed by most of the people may be called a fashion . Let includes clothing ,hairstyles furniture literature, Jewelry and many other things. â€Å"Style is the man,† claims Saints-Beebe, one of Matthew Arnold's heroes. The above cited quote is one of Matthew Arnold's intellectual stances. Some people believe that life is not worth-living without fashion. Everybody wants to appear fashionable and stylish, and he spends lots of money on his hairstyle, beauty products, dress designing and shoes.Fashions go on changing. One fashion that is in today may be outdated tomorrow. Fashions have been in the world since the beginning of human civilization. Fashion industry is not a new thing in today's world. Thousands and millions of people depend upon changing passions for their livelihood. â€Å"We are shaped and fashioned by what we love. † Moan Wolfgang) Fashions usually take their origin in the west. In Pakistan also, there are parties and social gatherings in which people try to outdo one another by their fashions and styles.From the west these fashions reach the third-world countries. By the time people of the poor countries adopt these fashions, the westerns discard them and eve on to the others, and thus the fashion industry goes on flourishing. Media has also contributed a lot towards fashions and fads. There are fashion shows, beauty contests and dress designing competitions in the form of catwalk shows, TV dramas especially soap serials on different channels like Star Plus. Movies and music shows have also triggered the fashion craze among the different classes of people.Fashions and styles make us look attractive and different from other people but, according to Aloud Huxley, it is our inner-self or soul that makes us beautiful or ugly. If we are red, depressed or morally decayed, our outward appearance will do nothing but reflect our soul. It is actually the purity and beauty of our soul that makes our skin glow and our eyes shine. Fashions are then only a disguise or a cover that hides our reality and make us look attractive outwardly.Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months. † (Oscar Wiled) The craze of fashions is mostly found among women and youngsters. A visit to college of today would indeed be an interesting experiment for those who wish to know something about the influence of fashion on men . Boys as well as girls spend much of their time on toilet . Female students go two steps further . Fashion they regard as their special right . Girls have a natural and inborn love of pretty dresses and in college they get a real opportunity .Girls spend a great deal of their money on powder, cream and lipstick. Scents and perfumes are used by these Toilets to excite and stir their Romeos. Evidently such boys and girls do not take their studies seriously the They may forget the formulae of mathematics but they don't forget the names of the films. It is quite natural with women to beautify themselves. They hooked, however, give more importance to the purity of their soul than to their outward appearance.Beauty products, parlors, costly costumes and dandy shoes will not add to our attractiveness as much as do our peace of mind, contentment of our soul and spiritual happiness. We should not, therefore, imitate the westerns or other people because the western culture and civilization are hollow and the people there are spiritually dead. I recall here the saying by a famous writer who says we may have a fashion of our own if we retain our naturalness, innocence, and purity of heart and soul. â€Å"Fashions fade, style is eternal. † (Saint Laurent)

Good life Essay

At the end of our lives, we all want to be able to feel as though the life that we lived on earth was a good and happy one. This seems like the ultimate goal that we strive for every day. However, the question arises as to how we can meet this goal by the way that we live our daily lives. If you were to ask random people on the street how they live a good and happy life, each person would give you a different answer. This is because everyone has a different perspective of what is important to make this life a good and happy life, and everyone has the control to make this life possible. What would I say if someone asked me how I plan to live a good and happy life? Personally, my answer would be that living a good and happy life would be living virtuously and living a meaningful life through my passion for helping others through nursing and also through my faith. There are many people that have studied these aspects of what a good and happy life would look like and have different views on what really defines what it means to live in a virtuous and meaningful way. According to the Stoics, their idea of virtue was moral goodness, doing what is right, just, honorable and wise, but I believe that being virtuous goes beyond being morally perfect. So, what does being virtuous actually mean to me? Being virtuous means consciously striving to do what is right, and learning from our mistakes, and continually growing to be a better person. In Joel Kupperman’s book, Six Myths About the Good Life, there is a quote that reads â€Å"There has to be a learning process; part of this inevitable will involve moral decisions, made by someone who is still inexperienced and who may be under pressure. I believe that making mistakes is part of our human nature, but that does not mean that we cannot be virtuous people. We can still live a virtuous life by learning from the mistakes that we have made. So, how does this view of virtue ensure that I live a good and happy life? Living a virtuous life require us to do what is right, and feel good about those decisions that we have made. It is important to learn from our mistakes, because in return, we will grow as people, and hopefully not continue to make those same mistakes. A life full of doing bad things, will only leave us with a life full of regrets at the end, but living virtuously will prevent us from living a life of regrets and in return will ensure a good life. Someone might disagree by saying that virtue is not important because anyone could live a good and happy life by doing bad things and stomping on the people around them for their own good. But, what is this person going to think at the end of their lives? What good did they do here on earth? That person would not look back at their lives as a good life and would ultimately not end up happy with it. Yes, I am sure this person was happy at certain points throughout their life, but the ultimate goal here is to end up with a good and happy life. A good and happy life means doing good things, and feeling joy through those good things that we have done. Aristotle believes that the most pleasant life, and presumably the happiest, is a life of virtuous or excellent activity. (Haybron p. 48) This means that a life of just doing good acts is just a part of the big picture. Doing good and also living a life full of meaningful and worthwhile activities is the key to a good and happy life. This leads into my second aspect of a good and happy life, which is living a meaningful life. How does one live a meaningful life? I believe that living a meaningful life means living beyond yourself, working towards something that has value to you and also to other people, and doing something that is worthwhile in the end. It means not just existing on this earth, but living a life that you would be willing to live over again. A quote from Haybron’s book reads â€Å"Any life devoted to worthwhile ends is meaningful. This means that doing something that will have worthwhile end results for not only you but the people around you is doing something meaningful. How does living this meaningful life make our lives good and happy lives? Living a meaningful life is ultimately living an emotionally fulfilling life. We will find pride and happiness in doing things that are valuable and meaningful to us, and will ultimately lead to a good and happy life. Haybron goes as far to say that â€Å"The full measure of happiness requires that we connect, in our lives, with what seems to us to matter. This means that we will not even experience our full potential happiness if we do not engage in meaningful activities. So, if a key part of a good and happy life is just doing something that is meaningful, then someone may argue that any useless activity that someone finds meaningful will lead to a good life. For example, someone who sits on the bathroom floor counting tiles because that is something that they find very meaningful and valuable, would not be viewed as someone who is living a good and happy life to most people. This concept of doing meaningful things then must go farther than just doing things that are meaningful to us personally. This is where Haybron talks about finding something that is not only valuable to oneself but also other people. A quote from his book reads, â€Å"The most meaningful lives will combine subjective and objective meaning: appreciative engagement with what genuinely matters. † The most meaningful life then must mean engaging in activities that have an equal balance between personal meaning and also meaning to others. Through my 20 years of age, I discovered what this meaning is for me. I plan to live a meaningful life by helping others through my nursing practices and also through my faith. Helping others and making a difference in their lives through the nursing skills that I have acquired, and also the knowledge that I share about my faith, is my passion in life. According the studies done my Mihaly Csikszentmehalyi people find the most pride and joy in doing activities that they can get caught up in. He refers to them as flow experiences, and explains that these flow experiences are important to our happiness. I completely agree with what this stands for. I find that my true happiness comes from when I am engaged in situations of helping other people; not only physically but also spiritually. The feeling that I receive by giving others a better life, is a feeling of happiness that I do not find in anything else I do. I could not fill my life with enough pleasures, relationships, or belongings to ever feel as though I would be living as good and happy of a life as I plan on living, without living out my mission and passion for helping others physically and spiritually. Although this is my plan to secure a good and happy life, this may not be applicable for everyone, but living a good and happy life is most definitely achievable. Like it states in our constitution, we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This does not entail that our happiness is given to us, but rather it is something that we have the freedom to strive for, and find the things that will ensure us this good and happy life. In regards to my own life, I find this attainable by living virtuously and by living a meaningful life through my passion for helping others through nursing and also through my faith. By living in such a way, I can live happily knowing that I am doing good and making a difference in people’s lives that will end in something that was worthwhile. Drawing from other readings and other’s opinions, I have been reassured that it is possible to live a good and happy life through just these two aspects of virtue and meaning. I plan to live in this way in hopes that when my life comes to an end I can believe that it was a good and happy life.