PROFESSIONAL ETHICS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS - Research Paper Example A person would always be influenced, directly or indirectly, by a system of thought that may is usually universally acceptable. How then did whistle-blowing come about, and how does it affect ethical and moral systems per se? Whistle-blowing is an act wherein a person, normally the employee, is exposed to some grave wrong, illegal work, or unacceptable practice within a company, workplace, or among professionals. Due to the wrong committed, the employee publicly announces the wrong done, thinking of it as the only remaining effective way of helping put a stop to such practice, after all the other means prove to be a failure. In such situation, the person committing the act of exposing the company, or the employee/s thereof, is referred to as whistle-blower/s. As emphasized by McConnell, whistle-blowers expose a past or present wrongdoing that is committed by a company, an organization, or even by a group of medical experts (575). The act of whistle-blowing may be triggered by various reasons, depending on the circumstances of each case, but it all has the same purpose, which is to point an accusatory finger against an organization or company (572) for committing a wrong so grave, that it has to be publicized to the world. As to what degree a wrong done may be considered as worthy of whistle-blowing, that is for the whistle-blowers’ own prerogative. However, despite the fact that it is somehow subjective on the part of the whistle-blower to decide as to whether something is worth exposing, it can be said that the judgment arrived at by the whistle-blower is highly swayed by an ethical system or moral belief that he or she lives by. Benefits A person is generally a moral being. Whatever wrong or evil act a person does is most probably a deviation from the universal precept of what is considered as morally and ethically acceptable for humans. For example, it is morally wrong to kill. Law, jurisprudence, cultural norms, even religion (at least for the theist s), support this general rule. This is a universal moral law that most people would live by. In relation to a whistle-blower’s position, he or she publicly reveals a wrong done by a company or organization, not just because the wrong being done is contrary to acceptable practice within the industry or company mission, or criminal in nature, but more so, because the wrong committed is clearly an inexcusable violation of morally accepted principles. Aside from that, the wicked acts or practices employed produce either mass destruction or negative effects on the affected patients or clients. In this situation, it is irrelevant then if the act or practice is presently being committed or not, what is important is that a grave moral wrong exists that will harm people, whether it concerns a small or huge percentage of the population. Whistle-blowing does not only affect the parties involved, but it has a permanent and long lasting effect on society as well. For instance, whistle-blo wing serves as a reminder to companies and organizations that they cannot always get away with such things. Companies and organizations are always highly encouraged and expected to not just act within the confines of what is considered as acceptable within company regulations and governmental laws, but to act with reverence and respect of universal moral decrees and norms. Also, whistle-blowing incite companies and org

The low-cost Airline Ryanair Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The low-cost Airline Ryanair - Essay Example In any industry, several forces in conjunction form the success or failure of any firm that operates in it. These forces include those factors, which affect a business from outside its immediate environment, which is the macro environment. Porter’s Five Forces Model makes it easier for one to analyze these various factors in relation to any industry, as it outlines the basic factors, which one should observe to understand a company’s chances for success and market attractiveness. Ryanair, an airline in the transportation industry, forms an interesting choice of company which one can analyze using this model. To start, one needs to have a brief idea about Ryanair. It is a low-cost airline, which is the second largest airline in Europe, and belongs to the transportation sector of the tourism industry. The reason it forms such an interesting choice is that it is one of the largest in the world in terms of international passenger number and the second largest (Amason, 2010) in terms of passenger number. This success of the airline is intriguing, and leads one to wonder whether the success can be explained by the recent deregulations that happened in the aviation industry in Europe in 1997 or whether it is due to the low-cost business model that Ryanair operates under. Either way, it is an intriguing case for anyone interested in studying companies from a business management aspect (Amason, 2010). Porter’s Five Forces Model includes firms, which study the competitive environment of the firm. ... In relation to the competition it faces from other firms, Ryanair competes against several rivals. These include another low-cost Irish airline Aer Lingus, which came into direct competition with Ryanair ever since it switched to a low-cost business model. Other competitors include MyTravelLite and Go (Hoffman, 2007), both of which were at a point in time, in competition with Ryanair, although it was not long before Ryanair was able to beat them due to its low cost strategies. Aer Arann and CityJet are some more examples of competition, which Ryanair faces, while EasyJet is this airline’s largest competitor (Hoffman, 2007). The airline industry is one where no one firm can hold monopoly, because each successful firm has different strategies and different core competencies, which earn them a fair share of market share. In addition, it is a large industry, which automatically means there will be several competitors. As for the power of customers, it is not a strong force in this particular industry. The customers are more or less price takers in the airline industry, as there are dozens of airlines, which cater to customers belonging to each price category. While it is true that these airlines use low-cost strategies due to the customers only, it does not mean that the customers have the power to influence the rates of fares of these airlines. Similarly, the power of suppliers is also not very relevant to this industry. The start-up costs as well as any materials and services the airlines use for their planes or operations make a large proportion of their costs. However, their magnitude is what influences the airline’s decisions, not the wishes or demands of the suppliers, which makes the power