Big Pharma’s Marketing Tactics Essay

The Big Pharma controversy is about the wide-scale marketing malpractices used by big pharmaceutical companies in America which resulted in a series of negative implications on consumers. It revolves around pharmaceutical companies, government regulators, health professionals (or â€Å"unprofessional†), market consumers and the medical watchdogs. The dispute was formed between the supporters of the marketing tactics used by pharmaceutical representatives and the detractors to it. Specifically it is the context that matters: Is it right, or rather ethical for the medical professionals to profit at the expense of the patients? Are there more underlying factors that led to this controversy? It is important to achieve a balance between the benefits and drawbacks of the marketing tactics used by the pharmaceutical industry; however it is more essential to consider the ethical issues pertaining to these tactics. Certainly, both the consumer welfare and health are of primary concern; but our ethical obligations are not discharged solely by a guarantee of some degree of protection from harm. Still, I strongly believe that the health considerations of consumers should be put before profit maximization, because, unmistakably, the pharmaceutical industry has the responsibility to treat people’s health, instead of harming them. This essay will seek to examine the ethical implications of drug promotion efforts by pharmaceutical giants, the social impacts of drug promotion on consumers as well as the approaches to contain this dispute. Key Issues To Be Discussed  The key ethical issues of argument related to Big Pharma are the questionable marketing practices exercised by the pharmaceutical industry, product safety, science for sale and lobbying efforts. These critical issues have been emotive and multi-dimensional. As a result, it attracted a wide range of views about the topic. Questionable Marketing Practices The marketing efforts of Big Pharma have always been under the media spotlight and the scrutinization of the public and medical watchdogs. The pharmaceutical marketers have made use of different medium to reach to the potential consumers and professionals. The extensiveness of the promotion efforts of the drugs had proliferated into every corners people’s lives. However, many believe that the pharmaceutical industry’s hunger for profits triumphs over their genuine desire to help the public, and that this blinded concern for profits continues to shape the future of this industry. The core of this debate is whether the high cost of drugs is justifiable by the cost of research and development done by the pharmaceutical companies. Has the money been used elsewhere? In fact, the world’s major drug companies have been accused of spending large sums of money on promoting their drugs, rather than researching on them. Big Pharma has developed a plethora of ways to reach out to the public to advertise on their latest and greatest drugs; from television and radio spots to newspaper and internet ads. The advertising budget for the drug companies have sky-rocketed to a significant sum. In 2007, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)’s biggest advertising price tag was attached to Advair, the firm’s blockbuster asthma medication, which rung up US$127 million in advertising spending. The total amount of money spent on marketing by pharmaceuticals was U. S. $57. 5 billion for 2004. The total spent on domestic industrial pharmaceutical R&D was U. S. $31. 5 billion. Clearly, the promotional workings of the drug companies have shown that the U. S. pharmaceutical industry is still mainly marketing-driven. Corrupted practices among doctors and health professionals are not uncommon in the pharmaceutical industry either. Doctors or even undergraduate medical students were bombarded with logo-infested freebies by the companies, in order to persuade them to prescribe their drugs to patients. Many physicians were subjected to financial lures by companies to convince them to favour their drugs and prescribe them. Back in 2009, a study out of Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital found that 84 percent of doctors have ties to drug companies, a ten percent drop from five years earlier. But roughly two thirds of doctors still accept drug samples, while 70 percent accept food and beverage incentives from drug companies. And fourteen percent continue to accept cash payments for services. While some of these unethical practices were tapered off, not all were uprooted. Some octors did not disclose the amount of gifts and cash which they have accepted from the drug companies. They believe that their decisions on the prescription of drugs would not be influenced by the gifts which they have accepted. In my opinion, the supporters, primarily the health professionals and representatives of the pharmaceutical giants, have disregarded the genuine health implications and the high drug costs incurred to the general public in concern. They might try fending off such moral challenges by claiming that substantial amount of advertising is necessary to boost the sales of their products. Securing more profits would also mean more money can be invested on research for better drugs. However, it is evident that the excessive promotional efforts of drugs have blinded the pharmaceutical industry, in the pursuit of more profits and sales. Their main concern of profit maximization still remains ahead of the interests of the community. Corruption practices among health professionals should also be stemmed out so that unfair and biased decisions made by doctors would not affect the drugs prescribed to consumers. A significant sum of money should still be used for the development of better drugs to improve the quality of the lives of people. In conclusion, the principle of utilitarianism actually provides the latitude in deciding the extent of marketing efforts by pharmaceutical giants. Health professionals should not benefit at the expense of the patients. Instead, doctors should always act in the best interest of the patients. It is thus important to achieve a balance between the marketing efforts and the genuine interest for the health of the public. Product Safety The safety of the drugs produced has been a compelling issue in this argument. Drug companies have been reportedly illegally promoting drugs for uses for which they were not approved by the authorities. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alleged that Astra Zeneca, an Anglo-Swedish giant, illegally promoted Seroquel, an anti-psychotic drug, for off-label purposes, specifically to physicians who do not normally treat patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Instead, they marketed it in long-term care facilities and prisons for the treatment of unapproved uses, including Alzheimer’s disease, anger management, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression. Subsequently, it led to the recall of the drugs and AstraZeneca paid $520 million to resolve allegations for illegally marketing Seroquel for unapproved uses. Some of these unapproved drugs were marketed through different means. Very often, these off-label drugs were made from low quality materials, or were contaminated in the production process. Due to the competitive drug market, manufacturers are tempted to cut corners by outsourcing production to potentially unreliable third parties and skimp on testing the product before releasing it into the market. As a result, some of these products could pose significant health risks to consumers. The trust consumers have on Big Pharma still remains as a big question. Should consumers continue to trust that the drugs manufactured by the pharmaceutical companies are legal and safe for consumption? There is no definite answer to it. Pharmaceuticals are responsible for saving and improving the lives of many people. However, it seemed to turn out otherwise. Again, profit maximization remains as the top priority of pharmaceutical companies. I believe it would still take some time before the drug industry come to a conclusion between profit-making and the health considerations of the public. In my opinion, it is reasonable for drug companies to source for cheaper alternative and achieve low costs in drug production; however, it should adjust or halt the development if serious problems emerge. Thereby, it is important for drug manufacturers to be mindful of the negative consequences that their products have on consumers. Science for sale Science has always been considered an objective endeavour that removes any form of bias in researches and is inherently true and reliable. The results should be generated independently, without bias and with the sole desire to find the best treatments. However, medical researches today, have become corrupted by money and special interests, and often misrepresent the truth to suit personal needs or corporate economic interests. The underlying motive still boils down to profit-making. Consider the example of the large and widely quoted Jupiter trial â€Å"proving† that Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering drug, could prevent heart attacks in people with normal or low cholesterol. In this trial researchers twisted the data to suit the commercial sponsor of the study. An independent review of the Jupiter trial published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that it was deeply flawed and the actual data did not show any benefit for the prevention of heart disease. Most medical researches are undoubtedly funded by pharmaceutical giants. Hence, in order to introduce the product into the market, findings are often tailored to be parallel with the economic interests of the company. I believe it is unethical for Big Pharma to pay researchers to twist the truth about bad outcomes and to sneak distorted information and marketing messages into medical journal articles. The consumers’ healths are at stake as they place much trust in the manufacturer when purchasing the products off shelves. If the research, development and distribution of drugs continue the same as it used to be, not only healthcare is at risk, but so are the research enterprise and the reputations of government bodies. The integrity of scientific research is too important to be left to the invisible hand of the marketplace. Healthcare authorities are needed to regulate and ensure that medical results are not manipulated by selfish pharmaceutical companies which are only concern with individual gains. Lobbying efforts Pharmaceutical giants have spent heavily to lobby government bodies. Part of the high costs of drugs is explainable by the high expenditure devoted to lobbying. New disclosure reports in Congress showed that familiar players at the top of the health-care influence heap, includes $6. 2 million in lobbying by the dominant Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and $4 million by the American Medical Association. Detractors of pharmaceutical lobby argue that the drug’s industry influence allows it to promote legislation friendly to drug manufacturers at the expense of patients. The perfect example of this is the dishonourable legacy of Nevada Senator and U. S. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid. Reid was exposed for accepting large sums of money from Big Pharma in order to craft and guide the health care bill in Big Pharma’s favour. The health care bill drastically expanded Big Pharma’s monopolistic control over America’s health care. Corruption practices by healthcare regulators and government bodies are unavoidable. Acceptance of extravagant gifts and money from powerful lobbyists like Big Pharma would easily allow them to control the government and shape the public health care policies. Financially influenced politicians have their campaigns heavily funded by the pharmaceutical industry. In return, these politicians would help Big Pharma in warding off most government regulations so as to promote their drugs into the drug market. The practice of lobbying is both unethical and deceptive. Such a notion demonstrates the unscrupulous manner in which the pharmaceutical industry runs their operations. It also illustrates that they have no qualms about manipulating the Congress and deceiving the public to achieve their ultimate goals. In my opinion, the government should keep check on these corrupted practices in the Congress and should ban any form of corrupted behaviours that have a large cost to the public. Bridging the gap between the proponents and the detractors Pharmaceutical companies should consider the impact of their actions on the society, who are also direct stakeholders to the issue. The importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) should be further put into actions. Big Pharma should always take actions that protect and improve the welfare of society as a whole along with their own interests. Besides safeguarding economic and legal obligations, certain responsibilities to society should be extended beyond these obligations. I believe that pharmaceutical companies which simply conduct more researches to prove the safety of their products are not going to win over the public totally. Instead, the businesses need to develop more counter-images or cases to boost good representation. It could be better illustrated by taking the case of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)’s initiative of selling the company’s malaria vaccine in Africa for no more than a 5 percent profit. GSK is one of the few pharmaceutical companies that succeeded in developing drugs that are beneficial in the developing world. It is thus evident that the pharmaceutical giant is not all about profit maximizing, but also have the intention to help the less fortunate people. I strongly feel that more stringent regulation and compliance standard from the government would be one way to instill trust in the detractors after all the spotty scandals of Big Pharma. An example would be to issue stronger warnings on the bribes accepted by politicians and researchers from pharmaceutical companies. Given the complexity of the issue, it would help to eradicate any forms of bias in the short run, regardless whether it is for medical researches or bills passed on by the legislation. All in all, it is still dependent on the integrity of researchers and politicians to weigh the risk against potential benefits derived with their own judgement. Higher transparency from the government and corporate would be crucial in determining the trust from the public and the criticism from the detractors. As such, with higher transparency, and more giving back to the society, it might help to regain the public trust and reduce detractor’s scepticism. According to the CSR Pyramid, it is undoubtedly that the biggest responsibility of the Big Pharma should still remain as profit maximization. However, legal obligations should not be neglected as well. Corrupted actions should be eliminated from the industry and healthy marketing practices should be encouraged instead. Accurate medical researches should be bias-free and not swayed by any forms of financial lures. Health professionals should always act in the best interest of patients. The pharmaceutical scene would still require further fine-tuning before we could promote a healthy relationship between the government, the manufacturers and the consumers.

Age of Extremes Essay

The twentieth century was rich in events and outstanding personalities. In his book Age of Extremes, Eric Hobsbawm provides an extensive review of what happened during the Twentieth Century and the impact of those events on human development. According to Hobsbawm, the Twentieth Century was both the Age of Catastrophe and the time of the extraordinary economic growth – a complex sandwich of events and developments that changed the human society â€Å"more profoundly than any other period of comparable brevity† (Hobsbawm, 1995). In the first two chapters of Age of Extremes, Eric Hobsbawm (1995) tries to evaluate the social and historic legacy of the Twentieth Century and creates a brief picture of the events and accomplishments that took place between 1914 and 1991. The author is confident that human society cannot distance itself from the events of the past, because everyone on the globe, irrespective of their life history and personal background, went through more or less similar central experiences that affected them all (Hobsbawm, 1995). Hobsbawm (1995) traces the evolution of the Twentieth Century from the First World War, which marked â€Å"the breakdown of the western civilization of the nineteenth century† (p. 6). The western civilization was characterized by capitalist economy, liberal constitutional structure, bourgeois image of the hegemonic class, and the glory of scientific, educational, technological, knowledge, and moral advance (Hobsbawm, 1995). The decades following the beginning of the First World War were the Age of Catastrophe: until the end of WWII, the society stumbled from one calamity to another and lived at the edge of survival (Hobsbawm, 1995). The failure of the major colonial empires and the economic crisis of unprecedented depth added their share of complexity to the state of world affairs (Hobsbawm, 1995). Hobsbawm (1995) believes that the victory of the Soviet Union over Hitler was one of the most important events of the Twentieth Century. Without it, the whole Western world could have turned into set of variations on fascist themes (Hobsbawm, 1995). The rise of the socialist movements was the direct result of the weaknesses in the nineteenth-century bourgeois society (Hobsbawm, 1995). How and why the world threw itself into the Golden Age of capitalism between 1947 and 1973 remains one of basic historical puzzles; but the Golden Age could not be endless and the global crisis that followed affected all, irrespective of their political, social, and economic configurations (Hobsbawm, 1995). The economic crisis gradually extended to cover political issues – the collapse of the Soviet Union produced an enormous zone of political uncertainty and destroyed the stable system of international relations (Hobsbawm, 1995). The economic and political uncertainties were followed by the moral and social crisis – the crisis of beliefs, which humans had used over the course of the Twentieth Century to win their battle over the nineteenth century’s ideology (Hobsbawm, 1995). The century that had begun with unbelievable optimism and faith in the future ended with a bang and a whimper, leaving the society in the midst of the moral, social, economic, and mental collapse (Hobsbawm, 1995). In Hobsbawm’s (1995) view, the Twentieth Century was the time of unprecedented achievements and dramatic failures. The cyclical nature of evolution resulted in continuous instability and profound economic, social, and political shifts. For many countries, the Twentieth Century became the time of remarkable changes and the beginning of the new era of uncertainty and chaos. Whether countries succeed in resolving the existing controversies depends on how well they can learn the lessons of the past and use wisely the historical, political, and moral legacy of the stormy Twentieth Century. Conclusion The Twentieth Century was the time of unprecedented achievements and failures. The capitalization of the word combination â€Å"Twentieth Century† by Hobsbawm (1995) is not accidental. The author feels that the Twentieth Century reflected a unique paradox: the triumph of the material values and their absolute rejection at the end of the era. The century that had begun with unbelievable optimism and faith in the future ended with the deep crisis of the moral and mental ideologies, leaving humanity in the midst of the social, economic, cultural, and moral collapse. Whether countries succeed in resolving the existing controversies depends on how well people can learn from the past and use wisely the historical, political, and moral legacy of the stormy Twentieth Century.

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 10

November 6, 1864 Damon is back, though it seems he was never actually gone. He has been watching me, baiting me, controlling me. He is the puppet master and I am his hapless marionette, forced to do his bidding. Until I saw Damon, I had not realized just how fond I had become of the Sutherlands, of how they eased my loneliness and gave me hope that I might not have to live in exile. Though I knew I had to leave them, I had dared to hope that by proving I could stay in control around them, my journey through this world might ultimately be less solitary. But Damon knows me all too well. He might have compelled the Sutherlands to accept me, but he didn't compel me to stay in their presence. I could have slipped out this morning, could have run off in the park, could have disappeared into the crowd at the ball. And yet I stayed, because, as Damon no doubt predicted, I liked being part of a family again, even if just for a few fleeting days. Damon's plan terrifies me – precisely because I don't understand it. Why New York? Why the Sutherlands? Why involve me? If Damon was able to orchestrate everything, to so seamlessly weave his way into the Sutherlands' lives and pave the way for my arrival, why stage such a spectacle? Why bother with a marriage? Why not just take Winfield to the bank and compel him and the teller to empty his vast accounts? Does he intend to live as a human? Does he need the marriage for legitimacy in New York society? Is he simply intent upon torturing me? Or is there something I'm missing? Some secret aim I can't possibly begin to imagine†¦ All I have are questions. And I fear that the answers won't come until the first dead body shows up. Later that Monday afternoon, I stood on the roof deck of one of the most amazing Federal-style houses ever built. Slim columns supported a soaring porch over a formal entrance, to which a grand, curved driveway rolled up as royally as a red carpet. From casement to cornice every detail was thoughtfully considered and never overdone. The dining room, large and oval, was (as near as I could tell) exactly the same as the one in the White House. The White House. In our new capital. That's the sort of place the Commandant's House was, as befitted the man who looked after the Brooklyn Naval Yards. What it lacked in size and modern touches (such as the Sutherlands' residence), it more than made up for in perfectly manicured lawns, a fine orchard, and a spectacular view of Manhattan. The property was perched almost on a cliff surveying the East River and the city that was under the Navy's protection. Commodore Matthew Perry himself had lived there earlier. I sighed at its magnificence. â€Å"No,† Bridget said, shaking her head decisively and heading back downstairs, picking up the train of her skirts in a very businesslike way. Her little entourage followed, laughing good-naturedly. â€Å"It's too white,† joked Bram. â€Å"It's too small,† added Hilda. â€Å"But it's incredible! The views! The size! The†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said. â€Å"What's wrong with this one?† â€Å"Placement. It's in Brooklyn,† Bridget said, barely acknowledging her fiance. â€Å"No one goes to Brooklyn to be married.† Winfield and his wife looked at each other with old love, clearly remembering their own wedding. Apparently it had been quite modest – he had not made his fortune yet. Neither one of them had minded. And yet they were willing to indulge their youngest daughter in her most expensive flights of fancy. Lydia smiled and murmured something to Damon, who wasn't really paying attention. She didn't mind where she was married. While it was to be a double feature with us two â€Å"happy† couples tying the knot at the same time, she had graciously allowed her sister to decide all the details. The Sutherlands were at least nominally Episcopal, but apparently neither Damon's nor my religion, or lack thereof, was a bother, nor was a proper church necessary to the proceedings; a family chapel – a very rich family's chapel – would be enough. Bridget was very modern that way. â€Å"So why did we bother seeing those mansions on Prospect Park?† Margaret muttered. â€Å"If Brooklyn is out, I mean.† â€Å"I rather liked the one with all the Romanesque arches,† I said, eager to get this portion of the sham weddings out of the way. â€Å"Fear not, brother,† Damon said, chucking me on the shoulder. â€Å"Only four more to go. Back in Manhattan.† We clattered down the steep, wooden, and rather old-fashioned stairs to the ground floor, thanking the butler for letting us in. Then it was a walk back down to the Fulton Ferry landing, where a boat would take us across to a veritable caravan of carriages for the long uptown commute. â€Å"This would be a nice place for an ice cream parlor,† Lydia remarked, walking around the dock pensively. â€Å"You want an ice cream?† Damon asked, as if to a four-year-old. If being with Bridget was bad enough, with me constantly cringing at the things that came out of her mouth, the nervous tension of waiting for Damon to say or do something horrible was even worse. I was on pins and needles the entire day. Because Damon would say something horrible, at some point, to Lydia, as soon as he tired of playing the game of attentive suitor. His attention span for games – other than ones he was betting on – was incredibly limited. â€Å"Yes,† Lydia said. â€Å"And there's no ice cream here. And there should be.† â€Å"Won't matter,† Bridget said, trying to add something useful to the conversation. â€Å"Soon there's going to be a giant bridge and this will all be shaded off and there won't be anything except for loud carriages and the stink of horses.† Bram, the original source of this information, shook his head. â€Å"No, Bridgey, the angle is fine. Look where the sun is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I leaned on a dock railing, surveying our little party. The girls in this setting looked like a scene from a painting, the four ladies' cheeks rosy with sunlight and the exertion of the day, the long ribbons from their straw hats blowing in the wind, their fluffy walking skirts swept up against their legs by the sea breeze. They were all beautiful, and for just a moment I could forget my present situation. Margaret bought a paper from a newsboy to read on the trip over. It was a fine day for a boat ride and strangely the East River didn't repel me the way fresh running water usually did. Bridget went to sit down inside the ferry, not wanting any more sun on her skin, which was ironic and hilarious considering my own situation. I was relaxing for the first time that day, my face up to the sun, letting my Mediterranean skin take on a bronzed, healthy glow. And then Margaret plopped down in the seat next to me. â€Å"You seem to be at least a bit more reasonable than the other fiance,† Margaret snapped. â€Å"Tell me. What do you want with my family. Money? The business? What?† I groaned inwardly. â€Å"You have to believe me,† I said, fixing her blue eyes with my own hazel ones. Without compelling her, I willed my voice to sound as genuine as I could. I took her arms in my hands, which was bold, but I needed her to understand. â€Å"I am not after Bridget's wealth. All I want is your family's safety and happiness. I swear to you by whatever you want.† â€Å"That's just the problem. I don't know what your word is worth. I don't know you. Nobody knows you,† Margaret said. Sighing, she took off her hat. â€Å"It's just†¦ so†¦ odd. I can see why Bridget likes you, you're certainly handsome and well-mannered†¦.† I cast my eyes down, embarrassed. â€Å"But really – no papers, no history, just an escapee of the South? This is Bridget we're talking about. She wanted Papa to take us all on a tour of Europe so she could capture the heart of a king, or prince, or at least a duke. Nothing less than royalty for her. And no offense, you're about as far from royalty as one can get.† â€Å"Well, and Lydia got her count, I suppose.† â€Å"Yes,† Margaret said thoughtfully. She eyed me, pushing a black tendril of hair back behind her ear. â€Å"And what about Damon DeSangue†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shrugged, trying to look innocent. â€Å"What do you think of him? The two of you have been†¦ unusually close since your double declarations of love.† I stared into the distance south, where the mighty Hudson and East rivers joined and became the sea. I shaded the city from my eyes, blocking it out, and the sun was bright white and rose over ancient, exotic waters. How much could I tell her without endangering her? She seemed to be the only one in the family with a sensible head on her shoulders. I thought once more about Katherine and whether my family would have been better prepared with some warning. â€Å"Don't trust him,† I finally admitted, hoping I wasn't putting her at greater risk. â€Å"I don't.† â€Å"Hm.† She looked over at Damon, who was talking animatedly with Bram and Winfield. â€Å"Neither do I.† Bridget had chosen the next few venues to visit as far away as it was possible to get from where we were. The mansion of the Richards was near Fort Tryon on the northern tip of Manhattan, while the Fulton Ferry dock was at the southeastern end. The slow ride in our carriages from downtown gave me an almost panopticon's view of city life. Slowly going up Fifth Avenue, I was amazed by the sheer difference in fortune of the people who made their home in New York – from the often shoeless newsboys and schmatta, or rag-sellers, to people like Winfield, who sat in his gilded private carriage, puffing on a cigar. We stopped for lunch about halfway there at the Mount Vernon Hotel on Sixty-first Street, where Bridget continued to discuss her outfit for the wedding. â€Å"†¦ and Darla had her dress in muslin, out of respect for the war, but it's almost over, and I think I should have a new pair of earrings, don't you, Papa? Stefan, darling, there is the most fantastic pair of pearl earrings†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Damon cleared his throat. â€Å"Bridget, you should absolutely have new earrings. And your outfit sounds good enough to eat, don't you agree, Stefan?† I stood up from the table, unable to enjoy the nice repast of cold chicken, fresh bread, fish, and tea that had been set before us, and unable to listen to another word of my fiancee's mindless prattling or my brother's endless teasing. â€Å"I must go take some air,† I excused myself, and would have stumbled over the bench on my speedy way out if I didn't have the grace of a vampire. I should not have been exhausted; I'd endured far worse. Living hungry in the middle of Central Park and hunting small prey was far more physically demanding than sitting in a carriage, looking at houses, and listening to the youngest member of the Sutherland family babble on about meaningless things. But as I had not fed since the squirrel the day before, I was famished and weak, as if I was enduring a transatlantic journey. A quick, silent trip to the kitchens revealed exactly what I had hoped – rats, of course. Not too many, and mostly in the breezeway between the cold house and the pantry. With a flash of my hand I grabbed one and broke its neck, sucking the poor thing dry, all without losing control. It was easy, with such disgusting fare. A low noise, a muffled sigh, made me turn and look up guiltily, rat blood leaking down my lips. Damon stood there holding a waitress around her throat, fangs out and ready to feast. She had the dumb, slightly breathless look of someone who was under a spell. â€Å"I see we both slipped out for the same thing,† Damon said, pleased. He raised a lip in disgust at the rat in my hand. â€Å"Although, really, you can do better.† He lifted his head back, ready to tear – â€Å"Please – don't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I put up my hand helplessly. â€Å"Please don't kill her,† I begged. Damon paused. â€Å"All right,† he said gamely. â€Å"I won't kill her. As an early wedding present! Just for you.† I closed my eyes, seeing the horror of the future before me. By implying he wasn't going to kill this girl, as a present, there was the assumption that there would of course be other murders, later on.

The Role of Information Technology in Organization Design Essay

The Role of Information Technology in Organization Design - Essay Example In case of a new technology-based system for Saudi Arabian hospital operational management, we can have a lot of primary and secondary stakeholders. In this regard these stakeholders can influence the system or else the system can influence these stakeholders. Below are some of the main stakeholders of new IS and IT-based technology at Saudi Arabian hospital: (Henry C. Lucas & Baroudi, 1994) and (Laudon & Laudon, 1999) The technology can be proficiently influenced by a lot of cultural characteristics of people at the hospital. In the scenario, there are a lot of aspects related to a culture those can influence the innovative working and handling of the technology-based system. Recognizing the cultural aspect is really a prime factor that is fairly significant for the effectual analysis and investigation of information technologies in that culture at a diversity of levels, comprising executive, nationwide and group, is capable to influence the thriving establishment and exploitation of information technology. In this scenario I will assess some of the major cultural aspects which are outlined below: In case of cultural aspects which can competently influence the functions and operation of the new technology-based system at the Saudi Arabian hospital, we can assess that people are generally expecting an elevated performance in addition to simplicity through the establishment of the new technology-based structure. While in case of experiencing a number of complexities in the system’s working and performance they become hopeless. In this scenario, there is an awful need of building appropriate prospect designed for the system management and utilization. The Arabic language is the native language of Saudi Arabia on the other hand new IT system will be based on the English language. In case of system usage, the language based aspects can appear into the enhanced performance of the overall system.  

Monetary Policy (Macroeconomics) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Monetary Policy (Macroeconomics) - Research Paper Example One of the impacts could result from a spike in Treasury yield, creating a need to raise government spending. This has a direct impact on social development as it involves spending more tax-payer’s money (http://www.ny.frb.org, n.p). In relation to societal issues impacted by the policy, the article indicates that such changes could spike up credit excesses leading to a scenario of financial instability as witnessed during the period of the Great Recession (http://www.ny.frb.org, n.p). The financial instability could be as a result of jeopardized debt ratios as well as increased amount of internal debts. On the other hand, scaling back the Federal Reserve’s Economic value has a great impact on Emerging Market Economies (EME’s). To begin with, it would lead to the reduction of the Federal Reserve’s Liquidity Cushions on foreign exchange creating a scenario whereby foreign investors withdraw their investment capitals. In addition, it would lead to a scenario of jeopardized financial stability within foreign markets thus creating vulnerability in their levels of development (http://www.ny.frb.org, n.p). "U.S. Monetary Policy and Emerging Market Economies - Federal Reserve Bank of New York." U.S. Monetary Policy and Emerging Market Economies - Federal Reserve Bank of New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014.

Nike Sweatshops Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nike Sweatshops - Case Study Example According to the paper the suffering was based on working long hours some up to 13 hours in a day, the overtime was forced upon the employees and not compensated, and there were higher case of child labor encompassing children of even 8 years working for around 9 hours in a day. This was in addition to the extra low wages they were being given which was way lower than the recommended minimum wages in the country as well as being physically punished by the supervisors. From this paper it is clear   that the ethical framework approach ensures a reduction of the suffering mentioned above and increases the benefits that the workers can accrue by working in Nike Inc. especially in the Asian nations of Vietnam, Taiwan where the suffering was in excess. This means starting with the issue of how workers are being treated where they are physically abused by the supervisors. This should be followed by the issue of eliminating completely child labor as this is morally wrong. The issue of working hours and overtime should be addressed according to the international labor laws. This should be followed by the wages being paid to be raised to at least the minimum wage required. In the end, the workers will be happy working for the organization which will in turn increase their productivity as well as save the company from having to use large sums of money paying off the politicians and other health officials to avoid being exposed or inspection of the factorie s. Nike should have first paid the employees for the pain they have caused them all this long. This should have been followed by a public apology from the top management of Nike Inc. who would express their unethical behavior and the changes that would follow.

Rapid Economy Developmentt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rapid Economy Developmentt - Essay Example Both India and China government can now provide timely and more efficient services for everyone’s wellbeing. This is as a result of more people being able to pay their taxes as there are more employment opportunities. The availability of more revenue has thus enabled them to improve on the medical healthcare facilities and education. This not only has private benefit, but a healthy population can be more productive due to the increased life expectancy. There is also the reduction of crime. This is because those lower the social ladder are able to earn enough thus eliminating theft cases. Economic, environmental and global problems that have arisen and are likely to arise On the other hand, rapid growth has caused a lot of harm in China and India. These negative consequences have affected the economic sector, the environment and the global security. These issues arise from expansion of economic activities. As demand keeps on increasing, the more the global side effects. India a nd China being in the beginning phase are experiencing the structural shifts from agriculture to industrial growth. With this, there is a substantial decline in the agricultural share, in these two countries. This has led to the rural- urban migration and thus the amount of farming has reduced. While this happens, the levels of energy consumption go high thus the release of poisonous gases into the environment. To achieve economic growth, these two countries have to increase in manufacturing exports, and decline in manufacturing imports. This leads to increase in energy consumption levels which cause environmental dilapidation. Both China and India are dependent on coal, fuel and electricity as sources of energy. India consumes a lot of energy in the form of solids which include coal and commercial wood. With the rate of economic growth, they had to depend more on liquid fuel, which includes petroleum. However, with the scarcity of oil sources, India had to depend on liquids from th e rest of the world, therefore, started importing, which has peaked annually. China being a popular nation with rapid industrialization requires a lot of energy. From the availability of resources, China depended more on solid fuel mainly coal. However, the energy consumption went higher each year, creating the need for other sources of energy and that's when they started falling back on liquid fuel (Erol & Yu, 1987). By the year 2005, China was the second largest consumer of oil led by United States of America. The net imports for oil seem to be growing each year. This puts an economic strain on citizens who pay for these imports indirectly through their taxes. This high usage of energy in these two countries causes the main problem of pollution. While meeting the high energy demand, the energy production causes the release of toxic gases like carbon dioxide and sulphur. High dependency on coal in both China and India causes severe air pollution by release of sulphur in the air whi ch is the cause of acid rains. The continued emission of these gases is a leading cause of global warming, which causes the erosion of the ozone layer, resulting in the rise, in temperatures. The effects of this are already global; with the melting of snow ice and glaciers, the rivers are overflowing causing high dispensation of waters into the oceans. Other effects of global warming are the increase