Recent orders
Abortion is described as a deliberate termination of a human pregnancy before its eventual maturity to term
Abortion
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Abortion
Introduction
Abortion is described as a deliberate termination of a human pregnancy before its eventual maturity to term. A greater debate has arisen on what the moral standpoint on abortion should be with a divide on one side to make it pro-choice for only the mother to decide and another side greatly determined on a pro-life kind of situation that advocates that life should never be another human beings option to take regardless of the circumstances the mother got pregnant through.
Balkin, J. M. (2007). Abortion and original meaning. Const. Comment., 24, 291.
According to this article, the author gives us a brief example of John hart Ely’s remark that stated that if a principle that is used to justify a constitutional right lacks a connection with any constitutional value then it, in turn, is not a principle and thus the court has no right imposing it. The argument imposed here is that the founding father`s document in no way meant to protect any form of abortion rights or right of privacy and thus any supporters of abortion rights have set themselves apart from the constitution and the governing document of the country.
The document in question strikes a portrayal in that abortion is immoral and a un unjustifiable act in which no moral equivalence for its justification exists. It uses a preexisting argument to show us this by justifying that no law at all supports the termination of a child.
Sheldon, S. (1997). Beyond control: Medical power and abortion law.
This law takes into account that society as a whole has recognized abortion as a primarily medical issue and thus the author looks into the historical cause and effect of the medicalization of abortion with a key focus on how the law has played in this process. By setting his sight in past British law that pertains to abortion the author looks for any resemblance of past laws to current laws of abortion in the 21st century.
The concluding remark is how the advancement in medical technology in the 21st century has created a good enough atmosphere to easily allow for practices such as abortion to occur. This rise in technology begs an idea on how we should look at abortion today as compared to abortion in the past century in which such advancements were nonexistent.
Boonin, D. (2003). A defense of abortion. Cambridge University Press.
In this book, the author acknowledges just how hard the conversation of abortion is. The key reason as to why this conversation is hard is because of just how difficult it is to understand the various relationships in place, case in point is the one between the fetus and the mother and one between the fetus and normal individuals. This is considered an avoidable debate on who in general is right and who is more logically moral but the author sees this as a false way to look at the situation.
In the author’s frame, it is not possible to debate this issue rationally since they all share a given view from their perspective on the issue, their opposite viewpoint of the world will in no way allow them to see the issue from one point view.
Marquis, D. (1989). Why abortion is immoral. The Journal of Philosophy, 86(4), 183-202.
This essay in general calls into question the morality associated with letting the act of abortion continue by undermining the belief anti-abortion position is an irrational religious dogma or conclusion of an otherwise confused philosophical argument. The author`s argument centers on the fact that the act of abortion is equal to killing a human being based on logical arguments drawn not from his point of view but also from other authors’ points of view such as Joel Feinberg and Mary Anne Warren. The essay in detail does not in any way look into the various cases that may lead to the pregnancy of an individual such as rape or in incidences in which the life of the mother might be threatened its main goal was to develop an argument for the claim that the overwhelming majority of deliberate abortions are seriously immoral.
The author concludes that there is no moral reasoning for the taking of life even if it’s a fetus and that morality and life should be held above all else.
Luker, K. (1985). Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood. University of California Press.
The author here draws on past data from more than twenty or so years of public documents and newspaper accounts as well as interviews with people from both parts of the aisle on the pro-life side and pro-choice side. Her final concluding remarks is that the moral position on abortion is tied to views on care of children, technology, family, and sexual behavior.
Drawing on the author’s conclusion we finally see that abortion is s debate that draws its conclusion from different fields. By gathering different groups to contest their opinion we see that the issue is not clearly understood and that different people draw a different viewpoint on abortion based on the various moral positions they wish to protect.
Warren, M. A. (1973). On the moral and legal status of abortion. The Monist, 57(1), 43-61.
The author of this book generally concerns herself with the moral status of abortion which she describes as pregnancy termination and the legal status that is appropriate to allow for such an act. The author argues that there is not any satisfactory defense for a woman`s right to obtain an abortion without showing that the fetus is not a human being and thus concludes that the difficulties involved in determining whether or not a fetus is human to make it impossible to produce a satisfactory solution to the problem of morality. Taking into account the logic in place that ascertains that the fetus is not a person the author implies that it is thus not an entity that can be granted full moral rights.
Although the author draws a moral status to abortion a legal definition is not implied because in her opinion the logic standpoint is only understood if everyone can agree that a fetus is not necessarily a human being.
Sanger, C. (2018). About abortion. Harvard University Press.
Understanding fully well that abortion is a contentious issue in America the author laments on just how politicized that something so private to an individual could be seen as an act of selfishness in which a woman puts their self-interest above those of the fetus. The author highlights the difference between abortion privacy and abortion secrecy to greatly show the level of hostility and stigma that has silenced other women`s ability to talk about abortion in an otherwise distorted political setting that in no way benefits the woman. By uncovering new connections between abortion law and American culture and politics the author takes the prejudicial view of women`s abortion decisions into a new light about current times.
The book shows that only by talking and discussing the topic of abortion especially amongst women can there be greater transparency and acceptance to ensure that prospective mothers will be treated more like adults making their own significant personal life choices as it relates to them as individuals.
Brodie, J. M., Gavigan, S. A., & Jenson, J. (1992). The politics of abortion. Oxford University Press.
This work looks through the integration of new political, constitutional, and legislative viewpoints on the abortion issue by clearly looking into the evolution of abortion policy in Canada. The book analyzes the abortion saga in Canada to debate new legislation in 1990.
By taking into account Canada as a case study we see how a country like America or Ireland may be affected greatly by their abortion laws. A clear means of understanding how to go about abortion laws is required by any major country and only by acquiring data a looking into the political laws can we at least achieve this.
Adler, N. E., David, H. P., Major, B. N., Roth, S. H., Russo, N. F., & Wyatt, G. E. (1992). Psychological factors in abortion: A review. American Psychologist, 47(10), 1194.
This article notes down the involvement of various organizations such as the APA and thus gives us a panel conclusion of evidence that abortion is not likely to be followed by severe psychological responses and that psychological aspects are best understood within a framework of stress and coping rather than a model of psychology. It implies that there are more negative responses following abortion than previously known.
Although abortion is a hot topic issue that may generally be frond upon the article in question looked at just how massively a key this overlooked just like the status of the woman getting the abortion. The end concluding remark was that although there is no psychological factor that happens to the mother after abortion, there are other factors to be considered that greatly affected those who have had abortions.
References
Adler, N. E., David, H. P., Major, B. N., Roth, S. H., Russo, N. F., & Wyatt, G. E. (1992). Psychological factors in abortion: A review. American Psychologist, 47(10), 1194.
Balkin, J. M. (2007). Abortion and original meaning. Const. Comment., 24, 291
Boonin, D. (2003). A defense of abortion. Cambridge University Press.
Brodie, J. M., Gavigan, S. A., & Jenson, J. (1992). The politics of abortion. Oxford University Press.
Luker, K. (1985). Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood. University of California Press.
Marquis, D. (1989). Why abortion is immoral. The Journal of Philosophy, 86(4), 183-202.
Sanger, C. (2018). About abortion. Harvard University Press.
Sheldon, S. (1997). Beyond control: Medical power and abortion law.
Warren, M. A. (1973). On the moral and legal status of abortion. The Monist, 57(1), 43-61.
Budget Transparency
Budget Transparency
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Budget Transparency
Budget transparency is one of the financial processes where the government or private bodies disclose all the necessary financial information in a systematic and timely manner. Budget transparency requires that all the stakeholders are involved during the budgeting process to foster transparency and eliminate the issues of corruption and improve on accountability. It also allows the stakeholders to contribute their views on how the money can be used. One of the issues that is clearly evident in the case of American Library Association is the lack of budget transparency in the body. The leadership of the organization made decisions that impacted the financial status of the organization thus creating enormous deficit. When members of the ALA met during their Midwinter meeting, the primary objective was to discuss issues of governance within the body. However, this did not happen because of financial issues that came up during the meeting.
The American Library Association was operating on a deficit of two million dollars and this came as a surprise to the stakeholders. What is clear from this meeting is that most of the stakeholders were not aware that the ALA was operating on a deficit. This shows the inadequacies from the management who were not transparent on the budgeting process of the organization’s funds. Another effect of budget transparency that came out during the meeting is the sale of the organization’s headquarters. The members from various divisions were surprised to learn that the proceeds of the sale of the organization’s headquarters had been placed into the endowment despite the shortfall on the operating funds in the organization. This is another case of lack of transparency from the organization’s management. According to Schwartz (2020), “Brown acknowledged “significant unplanned deficits” and “significant missteps,” and committed to “better communication” and “repairing trust.” Brown’s admission of significant unplanned deficits demonstrates a lack of budget transparency in the American Library Association and this is the major cause of the deficits experienced in the organization.
Budget transparency is one of the leading causes of better budgetary outcomes. Budget transparency is often facilitated by the people in leadership positions in organizations. These are the people who determine the outcome of a budget. Poor leadership during the budgetary process affects the financial status of organizations and can lead to financial deficit as depicted by the financial crisis in the American Library Association. As noted by American Library Association leadership in their response to the Midwinter meeting that ended with frustration from members, “ALA policy, divisions and other units are expected to be strong, strategic stewards of their funds and provide fiduciary oversight” (ALA, 2020). ALA leadership acknowledged in their response that Divisions and other stakeholders should play an oversight role in ensuring that there is transparency on how finances in the organization are utilized. However, it is clear from the Midwinter meeting that there is a lot of financial information that was not shared by the management of the ALA and this resulted in a deficit that affected the operations of the organization. Therefore, leaders play a critical role in ensuring that there is transparency during the budgeting process in organizations.
References
American Library Association. (2020, February 14). ALA responds to financial situation [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020/02/ala-responds-financial-situation
Schwartz, M. (2020, February 7). American Library Association’s $2 million shortfall prompts demands for transparency, reform. Retrieved February 13, 2020, from Library Journal website:
https://www.libraryjournal.com?detailStory=American-Library-Associations-2-Million-Shortfall-Prompts-Demands-for-Transparency-Reform-ALA-Midwinter-2020
Management- Case Study (Bigelow)
Case Study:
Cindi Bigelow and the R.C. Bigelow tea company
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(Institutional Affiliation)
Case Study Questions
What are the issues and problems that the company faces?
How do these issues and problems affect the company’s overall performance?
What are the possible solutions and alternatives for these problems?
Who will be responsible for implementing these solutions?
What are the consequences of implementing these solutions and alternative strategies for the company?
Summary
The R.C Bigelow Tea Company is a company located in Kentucky that specializes in the production and sale of tea products. Specifically, the company specializes in the blending and sales of both traditional black tea and herbal tea for its consumers. Accordingly, the company is well known in the food service industry, and for that reason, has a great market share, with most of its products being readily available in the market. As a family-owned business, the company has been and still is being run by the Bigelow family with Cindi Bigelow as the current chief operating officer. R.C Bigelow’s Tea Company’s operations are guided by four main principles including establishing strong relationships with both suppliers and consumers, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, as well as, ensuring the practice of corporate social responsibility. Evidently, these principles have successfully assisted the company in building and maintaining itself as a great brand in the market. These principles have also assured the company of competitive advantage in its industry, hence the success of the company.
Because of the changing trends in the industry, the company identified the need for new product development so as to keep up with the competition. Accordingly, based on an examination of the company’s customer base, the chief operating officer considered the introduction of new tea flavors as a way of attracting the younger customers. Accordingly, the older customer base is important to the company, and for that reason, still needs to be maintained even with the company’s entry into the younger customer base. However, a problem arises when the company discovers that the greatest majority of its home country’s population prefers ice tea to hot tea. Additionally, the younger customers that the company intends to attract will also take time to convince and influence into drinking hot tea, as opposed to, iced tea. This is because, the company had previously made wrong decisions regarding the production of ice teas, which in turn caused their iced tea products to fail in the market. Fundamentally, the company seeks to expand its market share to include the younger customers, as they believe that this will assure market growth for the company. This decision has come about because the company feels like the company is not experiencing growth with the current customer base, which is the older customers.
Issues and Problems
Upon a closer examination of the case study presented it is evident that the R.C Bigelow Tea Company faces two main problems. The first problem is the expansion of its market share in a bid to embrace the younger customer base, while still maintaining the older customer base. The second problem revolves around the introduction of new products, as well as, the need for product specification as a marketing strategy. At the outset, the company needs to maintain itself as a preferred brand in the market, as well as, promote the sale of its teas to consumers. In essence, the company has a superb customer base, which has been loyal to the company thus assuring its existence in the market. The older customer base, which is holds majority of the company’s market share, has allowed the company to grow and develop into what it is at the moment. For that reason, the company, even when developing new strategies for business, needs to ensure that they do not lose this customer base at all costs.
Because the company is aware of the needs of its older customer base, it has been able to provide these customers with the services they require accordingly. Evidently, the older customer base is more inclined to the hot teas, products that the company is comfortable and willing to provide to these customers at any time. This, has, in turn, compelled the company into providing hot teas as their key products. Accordingly, a problem arises when the company wishes to expand its customer base and bring in younger customers. This is because these two customer bases have different needs and requirements, and for that reason, the company will need to rethink their product strategy. As previously mentioned expanding the customer base causes a problem to the company, as it will force the company to rethink its strategies.
The company needs to devise products that are attractive to the younger customer base, which may be a difficult task, especially since the company deals with the production of tea. Fundamentally, the company wishes to attract customers between the ages 18 and 34, which is one of the most difficult customer bases to attract. The company deals with tea products, something that the younger customer base may not be willing to spend their money on. Accordingly, attracting the younger customer base may be tasking to the company, and for that reason, the company needs to invest heavily for the attainment of this. The second problem identified regards product specification. This problem is related to the first problem, as it revolves around the younger customer base that the company wishes to attain as a way of expanding their market share. As explained in the article, R.C Bigelow Tea Company is distinctively concentrated on the production of hot teas. The company also wishes to expand its customer base to encompass the younger customer base.
However, the younger customer base has been identified as preferring iced teas and other beverages, thus causing a problem for the company. Evidently, the company was slow in the diversification of their products to the production of ice teas. This implies that the company’s ice teas do not do well in the market as expected. This, in turn, causes problems to the company, as it cannot offer its potential younger market products that they inherently, prefer.
Alternative Courses of Action
Having established some of the problems faced by R.C. Tea Bigelow Tea Company, it is crucial that the company develop at least three alternatives and courses of action to help deal with these problems. These strategies will assist the company in achieving its goals and objectives regarding market growth, as well as, increasing its sales. Three main alternative courses of action have been identified including disregarding the younger customer base, changing the younger customer base’s perception of tea, and changing the company image.
Disregarding the Younger Customer Base
This alternative implies that the company will need to forgo their need for market share expansion. Instead, the company will focus its marketing and operational activities on the maintenance of the current customer base, which is women above 45. By disregarding the younger customer base, the company will escape the pressure and possible failure of expanding its market share. This will allow the company to specialize their products based on the needs of its current customer base, which is the older customer. The company will shape their products and services in such a way that they meet the needs of this group of people. The company will also discount the younger market as part of their market share, and will, therefore, not produce teas that are suitable for the younger market.
Changing the Younger Customer’s Perception Regarding Tea Consumption
The second alternative that the company may consider for their problems is changing the perception of tea consumption for the younger customers. This is directly aimed at the younger customers because they are the customer base that the company wishes to attain for the expansion of its market share. Changing the younger customer’s perception on tea consumption will allow the company to attain the market share that it requires for its growth and development. Changing the younger customer’s perception regarding tea consumption will demand that the company develop strategies to persuade the younger clients into taking hot tea, as opposed, to the iced teas and sodas. This will require a marketing campaign that is specifically fashioned for the younger generation to encourage this group to purchase the company’s hot tea products.
Changing the Company Image
Changing the company image is the last alternative to the problems faced by the company, and it is a business strategy that demands the company to change its representation in the market. This change of image may come in many forms including product diversification, and market stratification among other things. The company may also need to restructure its customer base as a strategy for changing its image in the industry. The decision, in such a case, will be that of the company, and it will be dependent on what the company feels will be most advantageous to it. Changing the company image will demand that the company also changes some of its business and operational strategies, and for that reason, demands a lot of investments from the company.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The three alternatives presented above will have a great impact on the company, as well as, its activities in the industry. The impacts of these alternatives are both positive and negative and for that reason, need a careful analysis so as to determine which alternative is the best choice in such a case. In relation to the alternative of disregarding the younger customer base as part of the company’s market share, the advantages and disadvantages are largely related to its effects on the company’s market growth. As an advantage to the company, disregarding the younger customer base will not assure the company of growth and development in the industry. This implies stagnant movement in market growth as the company will be solely focused on sustaining its current market customer base. This alternative may also be advantageous o the company because, it allows the company to focus on one particular customer base, and establish this customer base as a stronghold for the company’s business operations. Focusing on one particular customer base will fortify the company’s strength with the existing customer base, thus assuring the company of a strong market share with this customer base.
In relation to changing the younger customer’s perception regarding the consumption of tea, the advantages are more than the disadvantages. Accordingly, this strategy allows the company to expand its market share, hence growth in its respective industry. This is because this strategy compels the customers into purchasing and consuming the company’s products and services. This, in turn, implies an expansion in the customer base, thus an increase of the market share in the industry. This further assures the company of an increase in business activities, hence more sales for the company and an increase in profit for the company. The only disadvantage of this alternative is that it requires a lot of investment by the company. The company will need to invest almost all its resources, so as to, assure the company of the achievement of the intended goal of the alternative. For that reason, if the company suffers from a financial deficit, then there is a possibility that this alternative will not achieve its intended purposes. In addition to this, this alternative risks the possibility of failure, especially of the company fails to persuade the younger consumers into tea consumption. Failing to convince the younger customer base will not assure the company of attaining the large market share that it intends to attain.
The last alternative identified is the change of company image, so as to suit the changing trends in the industry and market. This alternative will also allow the company to reestablish itself in the market, as a way of increasing its market share and reaching out to the younger customer base. The advantage of this alternative is that it allows the company to look into strategies that it would not implement on a normal basis, thus allowing the company to exercise new strategies for its business operations. Further, this alternative allows the company to keep up with the changing trends in the industry, hence the possibility of success. This alternative may pose a disadvantage to the company owing to the possibility of failure and the dilution of the company’s brand. For this alternative to succeed, there is need for the company to invest heavily, which may be complicated if the company does not have the necessary resources to achieve this. This alternative may also be disadvantageous to the company, as it will force the company into dilution. This is because the company will be forced into changing some of its activities and strategies, most of which constitute the company’s brand image. Branding is important for companies, and losing one’s brand may also imply the loss of its market share in the industry.
Solution
On a closer examination of the alternatives presented, as well as, their specific advantages and disadvantages, it is clear that some solutions are far much better than others. Evidently, the decision to change the younger customers’ perspectives regarding the consumption of tea would be the most applicable solution to the problem faced by R.C Bigelow Tea Company. This is because the company wishes to expand its market share so as to cover the younger customer base that the company is currently lacking. The other two alternatives do not match up with the company’s overall goals and objectives regarding the attainment of a larger market share for the company. Changing the customers’ perception regarding tea consumption demands a number of activities by the company. These activities include marketing activities for the company, as well as, the products and services it offers, and the benefits of these to the company. As mentioned in the case study, the younger customer base are not much of tea drinkers, and for that reason, may require an immense amount of persuasion regarding the consumption of tea. If R.C Bigelow Tea Company manages to persuade the younger customers into consuming tea, especially tea products from the company, then there is the possibility of the company increasing its customer base accordingly.
Rationale
Apart from the obvious advantages of this alternative for the company, changing the younger customers’ perception regarding tea consumption allows the company to rebrand itself in the market. Branding is a key ingredient for the success of business organizations, and for that reason, needs to be considered accordingly when developing business strategies. Changing people’s perception on tea consumption will assure the company of the opportunity to rebrand itself in its respective industry. This is because the processes involved in changing customer perception require that the company come into contact with the customers with which it wishes to attain. As previously mentioned, changing customer perception demands increased marketing activities, which may creating awareness on the importance of tea consumption, as opposed to, other drinking items. This alternative will also allow the company to expand its market share as is wishes to, and this will increase its sales, as well as, increase its profits. Changing the perception of younger customers on the consumption of tea will also help in gaining a larger customer base for the tea industry as a whole. This is because more consumers will be encouraged into tea consumption, which would in turn increase the sales of tea products in the industry. Persuading the younger consumers into tea consumption will assure vigor and vitality of the industry, thus keeping companies such as the R.C Bigelow Tea Company in business.
Lessons Learnt
The case study on R.C. Bigelow Tea Company exposes individuals to some of the problems that businesses face during their business life cycle. This case study also presents the solutions to these problems, as well as, their advantages and disadvantages. The case study allows individuals to understand some business principles and their application and practicability. At the outset, the case study allows students to understand the amount of work that goes into decision making in businesses and organizations. Through this case study, individuals are exposed to some of the problems that face decision makers in the business organization. Additionally, the case study also allows students to comprehend some of the negative impacts of making wrong decisions regarding the organization and its activities. This is clearly indicated in R.C Bigelow Tea Company’s decision regarding ice teas. On top of creating awareness on the importance of decision making on the organizational setting, the case study also exposes students to the significance of developing proper business strategies. With this, students have the ability to comprehend some of the strategies that a business can opt for in relation to expanding their market share, as well as, product specification. Information provided in the case study, as well as, some of the solutions suggested allows students to, deeply, understand the management process and the key concepts involved in this.